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Abstract
Background: Taenia solium and Toxoplasma gondii are important zoonotic parasites affecting humans and animals. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of Taenia spp. infections in pigs by meat inspection, partial carcass dissection, and molecular confirmation and estimate the prevalence of toxoplasmosis in pigs by serology.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Bujumbura city, Kayanza and Ngozi provinces. Multisampling strategies were used to sample 576 pigs. Blood samples for diagnosing toxoplasmosis in pigs were collected upon pig slaughter. Routine meat inspection was carried out by meat inspectors and the data was recorded. The tongue, heart and masseter of the slaughtered pigs were collected and sliced. Slices of ≤5 mm were made from each organ and muscle, and cysticerci were counted. Cysticerci and suspected lesions were confirmed molecularly using PCR-RFLP methods.
Results: The overall prevalence of T. solium cysticercosis by meat inspection, partial carcass dissection, and molecular confirmation was estimated at 2.4%, 11.6%, and 11.5% respectively. Nearly 69% of dissected pigs had light infections followed by heavy (17.9%) and moderate infections (13.4%). Most of the cysticerci counted were viable (88.3%) and the masseter muscles were the most infected by cysticerci (76.1%) compared to the tongue (18.8%) and the heart (5.1%). In addition, the overall prevalence of Taenia hydatigena cysticercosis was estimated at 4.2%. The seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in pigs was estimated at 17.7%.
Conclusions: This study indicates that T. solium and T. gondii zoonotic parasites are endemic in Burundi and provides evidence of potential public health risks for the local population. Control strategies following a “One Health” approach are urgently recommended to limit the persistence and transmission of T. solium and T. gondii in Burundi.
Keywords: Occurrence, Taenia solium, Taenia hydatigena, Toxoplasma gondii, pigs, Burundi
