Toxoplasma gondii BT - Foodborne Parasites

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis, caused by Toxoplasma gondii, is one of the most common parasitic infections of humans and other warm-blooded animals. It has been found worldwide, and nearly one third of humans have been exposed to the parasite. Congenital infection occurs when a woman becomes infected during pregnancy and transmits the parasite to the fetus. Besides congenital infection, humans become infected by ingesting food or water contaminated with sporulated oocysts from infected cat feces or through ingestion of tissue cysts in undercooked or uncooked meat. Food animals (pigs, chickens, lambs, and goats) become infected by the same routes, resulting in meat products containing tissue cysts, which can then infect consumers. Toxoplasma infection is common in food animals in the USA. Implementation of animal management factors, such as biosecure confinement housing, is important in reducing the levels of infection in animals destined for human consumption.