A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Occurrence of Toxoplasmosis in Animals Slaughtered in Brazilian Abattoirs

oleh: Gabriel Augusto Marques Rossi, Eduardo de Freitas Costa, Sarah Gabriël, Fábio Ribeiro Braga

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-11-01

Deskripsi

Toxoplasmosis is mainly transmitted to human beings through the consumption of contaminated food, and several outbreaks caused by infected meat consumption have been reported in Brazil. We performed a systematic literature review on the prevalence and risk factors for toxoplasmosis in slaughtered animals and performed a meta-analysis of its prevalence for different species and regions. Furthermore, we also discussed the infectivity of seropositive animals, risk factors, and preventive strategies. In the meta-analysis, the overall prevalence estimates for poultry, ostrich, goats, swine, equids, sheep, and bovines were 42.4, 40.4, 23.0, 19.9, 19.1, 17.3, and 16.2%, respectively. Regarding the Brazilian regions, the highest prevalence values were detected for bovines and equids in the South (32.3 and 34.4%, respectively) and swine, goats, sheep, and poultry in the Northeast (29.3, 23.0, 22.9, and 69.8%%, respectively). High proportions of <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> viability in bioassay conducted on seropositive animals were seen for sheep (34/40 = 85%) and swine (12/15 = 80%). <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> infections are widespread on Brazilian farms, and the summarized data allow the establishment of high-priority areas and/or species for the adoption of preventive strategies to control this parasite at different levels of the food chain.