Abstract
Taenia solium cysticercosis was reported in official veterinary and medical statistics to be highly prevalent in pigs and humans in Madagascar, but few estimates are available for pigs. This study aimed to estimate the seroprevalence of porcine cysticercosis among pigs slaughtered in Antananarivo abattoirs. Firstly, the diagnostic performance of two antigen-ELISA techniques (B158B60 Ag-ELISA and HP10 Ag-ELISA) and an immunoblotting method were compared with meat inspection procedures on a sample of pigs suspected to be infected with (group 1; n=250) or free of (group 2; n=250) T. solium based on direct veterinary inspection in Madagascar. Sensitivity and specificity of the antigen ELISAs were then estimated using a Bayesian approach for detection of porcine cysticercosis in the absence of a gold standard. Then, a third set of pig sera (group 3, n=250) was randomly collected in Antananarivo slaughterhouses and tested to estimate the overall prevalence of T. solium contamination in pork meat traded in Antananarivo.The antigen ELISAs showed a high sensitivity (>84%), but the B158B60 Ag-ELISA appeared to be more specific than the HP10 Ag-ELISA (model 1: 95% vs 74%; model 2: 87% vs 71%). The overall prevalence of porcine cysticercosis in Antananarivo slaughterhouses was estimated at 2.3% (95% credibility interval [95%CrI]: 0.09–9.1%) to 2.6% (95%CrI: 0.1–10.3%) depending on the model and priors used. Since the sample used in this study is not representative of the national pig population, village-based surveys and longitudinal monitoring at slaughter are needed to better estimate the overall prevalence, geographical patterns and main risk factors for T. solium contamination, in order to improve control policies.
Highlights
Taenia solium cysticercosis is a neglected parasitic disease involving humans and pigs and is endemic in developing countries where pigs roam freely and scavenge human feces around villages (Torgerson, 2013)
EITB results were obtained for 108 pigs (64 in group 1 and 44 in group 2), B158B60 AgELISA results for 145 pigs (128 in group 1 and 17 in group 2) and HP10 Ag-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) results for 288 pigs (159 in group 1, and 129 in group 2)
A Bayesian approach was adopted to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of diagnostic tests in the absence of a gold standard, as has been carried out for porcine cysticercosis in Zambia and South Africa (Dorny et al, 2004; Krecek et al, 2008). Both Ag-ELISAs compared in this study were highly sensitive in diagnosis of porcine cysticercosis but the B158B60 Ag-ELISA was more specific than the HP10 Ag-ELISA, probably due to the fact that the tests use different monoclonal antibodies, which likely target different circulating antigens or epitopes
Summary
Taenia solium cysticercosis is a neglected parasitic disease involving humans and pigs and is endemic in developing countries where pigs roam freely and scavenge human feces around villages (Torgerson, 2013). To reduce the need for treatment, prophylaxis should be improved through mass screening, treatment of adult-worm carriers and control of cysticercosis in pigs (Boussard et al, 2012) For this reason, continuous efforts are being made to develop rapid and efficient diagnostic tests, and evaluations of the performance of laboratory techniques for the detection of T. solium in humans are regularly reported (Carod et al, 2012; Deckers and Dorny, 2010; Hernandez et al, 2000; Hubert et al, 1999; Prasad et al, 2008; Simac et al, 1995; Villota et al, 2003). We aimed to determine the diagnostic performance of different tests for detection of porcine cysticercosis in the absence of a gold standard and to estimate the prevalence of cysticercosis in pigs slaughtered in Antananarivo, Madagascar
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