Prevalence of Taenia solium cysticercosis in pigs entering the food chain in western Kenya.

Lian Francesca Thomas,Claire Njeri Wamae,William Anson De Glanville,Leslie Jayne Stevenson Harrison,Eric Maurice Fèvre,Philip Toye,Elizabeth Anne Jesse Cook

doi:10.1007/s11250-015-0949-6

Abstract

Three hundred forty-three pigs slaughtered and marketed in western Kenya were subjected to lingual examination and HP10 Ag-ELISA for the serological detection of Taenia solium antigen. When estimates were adjusted for the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic assays, prevalence of T. solium cysticercosis estimated by lingual exam and HP10 Ag-ELISA was between 34.4 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) 19.4–49.4 %) and 37.6 % (95 % CI 29.3–45.9 %), respectively. All pigs, however, were reported to have passed routine meat inspection. Since T. solium poses a serious threat to public health, these results, if confirmed, indicate that the introduction of control strategies may be appropriate to ensure the safety of pork production in this region.

Highlights

Cysticercosis, infection with the intermediate stage of the tapeworm Taenia solium, is a zoonotic disease of public health and economic importance and is widespread in Africa, Asia and Latin America (Coral-Almeida et al 2015)
This study investigated the prevalence of T. solium cysticercosis in pigs entering the food chain in western Kenya as a first step to understanding the burden of this parasite in this region
Reports obtained from the meat inspectors indicated that no pigs with cysticercosis infections were detected at meat inspection and, no pig carcass or part thereof had been condemned for any reason during the time of the study

Summary

Introduction

Cysticercosis, infection with the intermediate stage of the tapeworm Taenia solium, is a zoonotic disease of public health and economic importance and is widespread in Africa, Asia and Latin America (Coral-Almeida et al 2015) It is a leading cause of acquired epilepsy in humans and a priority for control under the 2012 road map for control of neglected tropical diseases ‘NTD roadmap’ (World Health Organization 2012). The ad hoc arrangement of the market operating in a largely informal value chain, in conjunction with an understaffed meat inspectorate, allows a proportion of pork to enter the food chain without inspection (Kagira et al 2009) This puts the population at risk from various food-borne diseases, including the parasite T. solium

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Conclusion