Abstract
A cross-sectional study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and associated risk factors in pigs in the largest pork-producing region in Cuba. Serum samples from 420 pigs, including 210 sows and 210 post-weaning pigs, were tested for antibodies against T. gondii using a commercial indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anti-T. gondii antibodies were detected in 56 animals (13.3%, 95% CI: 10.1–16.6). A generalized estimating equations model revealed that the risk factors associated with higher seropositivity in pigs were altitude (higher in farm’s location < 250 m above sea level (masl) versus ≥ 250 masl) and age (higher in sows compared to post-weaning pigs). The results indicated that this protozoan parasite is widely distributed on pig farms in the study area, which is a public health concern since the consumption of raw or undercooked pork meat products containing tissue cysts is considered one of the main routes of T. gondii transmission worldwide. Control measures should be implemented to reduce the risk of exposure to T. gondii in pigs in Cuba.
Highlights
Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which infects virtually all warm-blooded species including human beings (Dubey et al 2020)
The individual seroprevalence detected in pigs raised in Cuba in our study (13%) is of the same magnitude as found previously in Cuba (14%) and in other Latin American countries such as Brazil (13%), Colombia (15%), and Mexico (Suárez-Hernández et al 2005; Foroutan et al 2019; Dubey et al 2020)
Higher mean seroprevalence values were observed in Brazil, while higher seropositivity was found in Argentina (48%), Brazil, Costa Rica (44%), Hawaii (49%), Mexico, Panamá (32%), and Peru (30%) (Cañón-Franco et al 2014; Foroutan et al 2019; Dubey et al 2020)
Summary
Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide zoonotic disease caused by the obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, which infects virtually all warm-blooded species including human beings (Dubey et al 2020). The consumption of raw or undercooked meat products containing tissue cysts is considered one of the main routes of T. gondii transmission worldwide (Dubey 2010; Almeria and Dubey 2021). In this respect, pork is one of the major sources of human toxoplasmosis in some countries (Dubey et al 2020; Almeria and Dubey 2021).
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