title: Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Farmed Wild Boars (Sus scrofa) in Three Cities of Northeast China.
abstract: The apicomplexan protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii is a widely distributed etiological agent of foodborne illness. This parasite can cause production losses in livestock and serious disease in humans through consumption of contaminated meat. Pig meat is the most likely source of human infection, and wild boars may play a role in the transmission of T. gondii by serving as a reservoir host. This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of antibodies to T. gondii among farmed wild boars in China. In an 11-month survey, a total of 882 serum samples were obtained from farmed wild boars from three cities (Jilin City, Siping City, and Baishan City) in Jilin province, Northeast China and were tested for antibodies specific for T. gondii. Using modified agglutination test and a cutoff titer of 1:25, the prevalence of T. gondii infection in the examined samples was 10.0% (88 of 882). The highest seroprevalence was observed in animals from Jilin city (15.3%, 43/281) and followed by Siping (11.4%, 30/263) and Baishan (4.4%, 15/338). Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between the investigated geographic region and T. gondii infection. In addition, prevalence was higher in females compared to males, and the highest prevalence was detected in piglets. These findings indicate that farmed wild boars may become a source of foodborne toxoplasmosis, posing a food safety threat to the public health in the investigated areas. Implementation of effective measures to control T. gondii infection in farmed wild boars in China may be warranted.
authors.affiliation: 1 State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute , Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China .
authors.forename: Meng-Jie
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.affiliation: 1 State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute , Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China .|2 College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University , Changchun, Jilin Province, China .
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: 3 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham , Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, United Kingdom .
authors.forename: Hany M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Elsheikha
authors.affiliation: 1 State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute , Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China .|2 College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University , Changchun, Jilin Province, China .
authors.forename: Jian-Gang
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: 1 State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute , Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China .|2 College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University , Changchun, Jilin Province, China .
authors.forename: Wen-Bin
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: 2 College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University , Changchun, Jilin Province, China .
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: 1 State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute , Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China .|2 College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural University , Changchun, Jilin Province, China .
authors.forename: Xiao-Xuan
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 1 State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute , Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China .|4 Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses , Yangzhou University College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China .
authors.forename: Xing-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests; D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002947:Cities; D005260:Female; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis; D016266:Food Parasitology; D059022:Food Safety; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000469:parasitology; D015995:Prevalence; D011634:Public Health; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000469:parasitology*; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D014124:Toxoplasmosis, Animal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan
keywords: China; Toxoplasma gondii; food safety; risk factors; seroprevalence; wild boars