title: Tools and methods for detecting and characterizing giardia, cryptosporidium, and toxoplasma parasites in marine mollusks.
abstract: Foodborne infections are of public health importance and deeply impact the global economy. Consumption of bivalve mollusks generates risk for humans because these filtering aquatic invertebrates often concentrate microbial pathogens from their environment. Among them, Giardia, Cryptosporidium, and Toxoplasma are major parasites of humans and animals that may retain their infectivity in raw or undercooked mollusks. This review aims to detail current and future tools and methods for ascertaining the load and potential infectivity of these parasites in marine bivalve mollusks, including sampling strategies, parasite extraction procedures, and their characterization by using microscopy and/or molecular techniques. Method standardization should lead to better risk assessment of mollusks as a source of these major environmental parasitic pathogens and to the development of safety regulations, similar to those existing for bacterial and viral pathogens encountered in the same mollusk species.
authors.affiliation: Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Laboratoire de Parasitologie-Mycologie, EA 3800, Protozooses Transmises par l'Alimentation, Faculté de Médecine, SFR Cap-Santé Fed 4231, 51 Rue Cognacq-Jay, 51096 Reims, France.
authors.forename: Jeanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hohweyer
authors.forename: Aurélien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dumètre
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aubert
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Azas
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Villena
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D003458:Cryptosporidium / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D016266:Food Parasitology; D005872:Giardia / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008974:Mollusca / Q000469:parasitology*; D011634:Public Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*