Serodiagnosis of Porcine Cysticercosis and Risk Assessments in Pigs Slaughtered in Ywar Thar Gyi Slaughter within Yangon Region, Myanmar

Abstract

Since 2015, porcine cysticercosis has been under-reported in Myanmar, even though the country was known to be endemic. This study aimed to figure out the seroprevalence of porcine cysticercosis and risk factors relating to pigs' infection by administering questionnaires to the farm owners. We bled a total of 330 pigs to collect the sera sample before slaughter at the Ywar Thar Gyi slaughter, the major abattoir in Yangon, Myanmar. The monoclonal antibody-based B158/B60 Ag-ELISA technique was used since it has shown high diagnostic values. The presence of Taenia spp. cyst was also assessed by meat inspection of six different muscles. We also investigated the distribution of cysts in slaughtered pigs. Of 330 blood samples, 14.24% of pigs were tested as seropositive. However, 12.12% of pigs were examined for the presence of cysticerci by the meat inspection method. The comparison between seroprevalence and prevalence by meat inspection was made using a 2x2 matrix table. Regarding cyst distribution, 95.0% (38/40) observed cysticerci on the ventral surface of the tongue muscle, and we found the remaining two positive samples inside the heart muscle. Results have shown that husbandry practice (OR=5.1; 95% CI=2.9-8.5) and deworming practice (OR=4.1; 95%CI=2.5-7.5) had a significant association (P<0.05) with the presence of infection in slaughter pigs. This study indicates the presence of cysticercosis in slaughtered pigs, and the results could assist the need for further studies for the intervention of effective control strategies.