Frequency of Toxoplasma gondii in Pork Meat in Ocotlan, Jalisco, Mexico

M. L. Galván-Ramirez, A. L. Madriz Elisondo, C. P.Rico Torres, H. Luna-Pastén, L. R.Rodríguez Pérez, A. R. Rincón-Sánchez, R. Franco, A. Salazar-Montes, D. Correa

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21 Scopus citations

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, an intracellular obligate parasite. Its transmission has usually been attributed to ingestion of undercooked or raw meat. The frequency of T. gondii in pork, the most common meat for human consumption in Jalisco, Mexico, is unknown; in Guadalajara city high prevalence of human toxoplasmosis has been documented. Forty-eight samples of pork meat from butcher shops in Ocotlan city were analyzed. Through bioassay, 50 g of tissue was homogenized in an acidic pepsin solution and inoculated subcutaneously to previously immunosuppressed mice. Blood samples from the mice tail vein were obtained before inoculation and 7, 14, 28, and 45 days postinoculation to analyze anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG antibody kinetics by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For histopathology, small fragments of the brain, lungs, heart, and skeletal muscle were extracted on day 45 and were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Also, DNA was extracted from the pork meat for PCR amplification of the Bl gene. Even though all pork samples were negative by histopathology and PCR, IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii were detected in 1 of the 48 inoculated mice, reflecting a frequency of 2.1% positive pork meat, which is lower than expected but similar to that found in other regions.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1121-1123
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of Food Protection
Volume73
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jan 2010
Externally publishedYes

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