Molecular prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered equids in Northern Tunisia.
Abstract: Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are two apicomplexan protozoa that infect a broad range of vertebrates, however, little is known about the infection of equids with these parasites. A total of 184 slaughtered equids from slaughterhouses of Bizerte and Tunis located in Northern Tunisia, were examined for meat infections with Sarcocystis spp. and T. gondii by PCR. The prevalence of infections with Sarcocystis spp. and T. gondii were 38% (95% CI: 31-45) and 39.7% (95% CI: 32.6-46.7), respectively. The highest prevalence of infection with Sarcocystis spp. was observed in donkeys (48.6%; 95%CI: 37.3-60) followed by mules (32.8%; 95%CI: 21.3-44.3), and horses (28.3%; 95%CI: 15.2-41.2) (p = 0.04). Similarly, the highest prevalence of infection with T. gondii was also observed in donkeys (66.2%; 95%CI: 55.4-77), followed by mules (18.7%; 95%CI: 9.2-28.3), and horses (26.1%; 95%CI: 13.4-38.8) (p<0.001). The co-infection prevalence was estimated to 17.4% (95%CI: 11.9-22.9). Taking into consideration that humans can be infected following consumption of infected equid meat with T. gondii and/or some Sarcocystis species, it is importance to assess the risk of human infection. Thus, further studies are needed to better understand the epidemiology of these zoonoses.
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Inc.
Publication Date: 2023-07-26 PubMed ID: 37506984DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104894Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research examined the prevalence of two parasites, Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii, in slaughtered horses, mules, and donkeys in Northern Tunisia. It found that both parasites were relatively common, particularly in donkeys, and that their presence could potentially pose a risk to humans who consume equid meat.
Research Methods
- The study was conducted in the slaughterhouses of Bizerte and Tunis in Northern Tunisia.
- A total of 184 slaughtered equids, consisting of horses, mules, and donkeys, were examined.
- The researchers tested for the presence of two parasites, Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii, using a method called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) which is a method used to amplify the copies of a specific DNA segment.
Research Findings
- The prevalence of infections with Sarcocystis spp. and T. gondii were 38% and 39.7% respectively.
- Among the species of equids, the highest prevalence of infection with Sarcocystis spp. was found in donkeys (48.6%), followed by mules (32.8%), and horses (28.3%).
- Similarly, with T. gondii, donkeys showed the highest prevalence of infection (66.2%), followed by horses (26.1%), and mules (18.7%).
- Around 17.4% of the samples showed co-infection with both the parasites.
Implications
- The findings indicate that Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii infections are quite common in equids, particularly in donkeys, in the studied region.
- This is of potential concern to public health as humans can become infected by eating the meat of infected equids.
- Further studies are needed to better understand the epidemiology of these zoonotic infections and to assess the associated risk to humans.
Cite This Article
APA
Amairia S, Jbeli M, Mrabet S, Jebabli LM, Gharbi M.
(2023).
Molecular prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. and Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered equids in Northern Tunisia.
J Equine Vet Sci, 104894.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104894 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Univ. Manouba, Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, 2020 Sidi Thabet, Tunisia. Electronic address: amairia.safa@gmail.com.
- Health and Veterinary Control Division, Ministry of Defense, Ksar Saïd military base, 1029 Tunis, Tunisia.
- Department of Hygiene, Municipality of Bizerte, Tunisia.
- Tunis Abattoir, Health, Hygiene and Environment Service, Ministry of Interior, 1089 Montfleury, Tunisia.
- Laboratoire de Parasitologie, Univ. Manouba, Institution de la Recherche et de l'Enseignement Supérieur Agricoles, École Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet, 2020 Sidi Thabet, Tunisia.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of Competing Interests The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Vela LA, Bravo Ramos JL, Rojas SB, Sánchez Otero MG, Montes SS, Ortiz Carbajal LA, Exsome CP, Baena AB. Detection of Toxoplasma Gondii and Risk Factors in Retail Meat in Southern Mexico. Acta Parasitol 2026 Jan 26;71(1):23.
- Ullah A, Geng M, Chen W, Zhu Q, Shi L, Zhang X, Akhtar MF, Wang C, Khan MZ. Effect of Parasitic Infections on Hematological Profile, Reproductive and Productive Performance in Equines. Animals (Basel) 2025 Nov 14;15(22).
- Tabrizi M, Nemati S, Mohammad Rahimi H, Mirjalali H. Molecular investigation of Sarcocystis spp., and Toxoplasma gondii in meat products in Iran. BMC Res Notes 2025 Nov 18;18(1):485.
- Ye T, Li XM, Tan WX, Wang CL, Jiang J, Zhao Q. Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Equids: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Acta Parasitol 2025 Aug 7;70(4):167.
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