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High level of infection by Toxoplasma gondii in pigs slaughtered in the city of São Luís, Maranhão

2021; Colégio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinaria; Volume: 30; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1590/s1984-29612021086

1984-2961

Ellainy Maria Conceição Silva, Pablo dos Santos Sousa, Scarleth Kevia Gomes Silva de Carvalho, Ingrid Carolinne Lopes Marques, Francisco Borges Costa, Andréa Pereira da Costa, Larissa Sarmento dos Santos, Maria do Socorro Costa Oliveira Braga, Ana Lúcia Abreu‐Silva, Rosangela Zacarias Machado, Alcina Vieira de Carvalho Neta,

Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics

A serological, molecular and histopathological study was carried out in order to investigate occurrences of Toxoplasma gondii in pigs slaughtered with and without inspection service. Serum samples were collected from 60 pigs to detect anti-T. gondii antibody by indirect fluorescent antibody (IFAT). Tongue, masseter and diaphragm fragments were also collected for parasite DNA detection by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histopathological analysis. The serological results showed that 77% (44/60) of the pigs were positive. Regarding PCR, 66.67% (40/60) were positive for T. gondii. Among the tissues evaluated, the diaphragm was the one with the highest frequency of positivity (40%; 24/60), followed by the masseter (38.33%; 23/60) and tongue (33.3%; 20/60). Histopathological changes were only observed in the diaphragm, which presented inflammatory infiltrates of lymphohistiocytic and neutrophilic types. These results not only show the potential threat of T. gondii to human health, but also demonstrate the dynamic epidemiological situation of toxoplasmosis in pigs in the city of São Luís, providing support for food security regarding pigs and for T. gondii control programs in Brazil.