Pubblicazione scientifica

Toxoplasma gondii in edible fishes captured in the Mediterranean basin

FILONE TECNOLOGICO	TEMA
trasformazione e commercializzazione	certificazione e marchi di qualità macchinari di ausilio alla lavorazione e trasformazione del pesce sistemi di packaging, etichettatura e conservazione dei prodotti sistemi di trasporto, logistica e catena del freddo

RIASSUNTO

Abstract

The issue of whether market fish can be involved in the transmission of Toxoplasma gondii in the marine environment is highly debated since toxoplasmosis has been diagnosed frequently in cetaceans stranded along the Mediterranean coastlines in recent times. To support the hypothesis that fishes can harbour and effectively transmit the parasite to top‐of‐the‐food‐chain marine organisms and to human consumers of fishery products, a total of 1,293 fishes from 17 species obtained from wholesale and local fish markets were examined for T. gondii DNA. Real‐time PCR was performed in samples obtained by separately pooling intestines, gills and skin/muscles collected from each fish species. Thirty‐two out of 147 pooled samples from 12 different fish species were found contaminated with T. gondii DNA that was detected in 16 samples of skin/muscle and in 11 samples of both intestine and gills. Quantitative analysis of amplified DNA performed by both real‐time PCR and digital PCR (dPCR) confirmed that positive fish samples were contaminated with Toxoplasma genomic DNA to an extent of 6.10 × 10−2 to 2.77 × 104 copies/ml (quantitative PCR) and of 1 to 5.7 × 104 copies/ml (dPCR). Fishes are not considered competent biological hosts for T. gondii; nonetheless, they can be contaminated with T. gondii oocysts flowing via freshwater run‐offs (untreated sewage discharges, soil flooding) into the marine environment, thus acting as mechanical carriers. Although the detection of viable and infective T. gondii oocysts was not the objective of this investigation, the results here reported suggest that fish species sold for human consumption can be accidentally involved in the transmission route of the parasite in the marine environment and that the risk of foodborne transmission of toxoplasmosis to fish consumers should be further investigated.

DATA

Data di pubblicazione: 06/07/2019

AUTORI

MARINO ANNA MARIA FAUSTA
GIUNTA RENATO PAOLO
SALVAGGIO ANTONIO
CASTELLO ANNAMARIA
ALFONZETTI TIZIANA
BARBAGALLO ANTONIO
APARO ALESSANDRA
SCALZO FABRIZIO
REALE STEFANO
BUFFOLANO WILMA
PERCIPALLE MAURIZIO

ENTE DI AFFERENZA

NATL REFERENCE CTR TOXOPLASMOSIS INST ZOOPROFILATTICO SPERIMENTALE DELLA SICILIA CATANIA ITALY
PERINATAL INFECTION REGISTER CIA REGION NAPLES ITALY

RIVISTA

Zoonoses and Public Health, 66(7), 826-834

IMPACT FACTOR

2,164

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