Detection of Porcine Cysticercosis in Meat Juice Samples from Infected Pigs

Abstract Background Neurocysticercosis caused by Taenia solium when the parasite lodges in the central nervous system, is an important cause of human seizures and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. The parasite is prevalent in many regions of Uganda. Pigs are intermediate hosts for T. solium, and we evaluated a T. solium control program in pigs, involving vaccination of pigs with the TSOL18 vaccine and treatment with oxfendazole. Methods The study was conducted in two districts of Eastern Uganda involving the rural village communities of Bukedea (intervention area) and Kumi (control area) during 2016–2017. Seven hundred and thirty-four households were enrolled in the study. Pigs in the intervention area received intramuscular immunizations with TSOL18 (Cysvax™) and an oral medication with 30 mg/kg oxfendazole (Paranthic™) at approximately 3-monthly intervals for 18 months. Porcine cysticercosis was evaluated by post-mortem examination. At the beginning of the study, 111 pigs were examined. In an interim evaluation in the intervention area, 55 pigs were evaluated 12 months after starting the project. At the end of the study approximately 3 months after the final intervention, 55 pigs from the intervention area and 56 pigs from the control area were evaluated. Results The prevalence of porcine cysticercosis for the two sites was 16.2% at the beginning of the study (17.2% in the intervention area and 15.1% in the control area) with no statistically significant difference (P = 0.759) between the two study sites. Among the 110 animals assessed from the intervention site (55 at the interim evaluation and 55 at the final evaluation), no pig with viable T. solium cysts was found. There was a statistically significant difference between the prevalence at baseline (17.2%) and at the end of the study (0%) in the intervention area (P = 0.001) and a statistically significant difference between the intervention (0%) and control areas (5.4%) (P = 0.041) at the end of the study. Conclusions Three-monthly concurrent vaccination of pigs with the TSOL18 vaccine and medication with oxfendazole eliminated T. solium transmission by the animals involved in the study. Application of vaccination with medication in pigs has the potential to reduce transmission of T. solium in Uganda and other endemic countries.

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Salmonella Infection in Nursery Piglets and Its Role in the Spread of Salmonellosis to Further Production Periods

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10020123 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 123

Author(s):

María Bernad-Roche ◽

Alejandro Casanova-Higes ◽

Clara M. Marín-Alcalá ◽

Alberto Cebollada-Solanas ◽

Raúl C. Mainar-Jaime

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Resistance ◽

Intestinal Content ◽

Human Consumption ◽

Finishing Pigs ◽

Salmonella Infection ◽

Mesenteric Lymph Nodes ◽

Meat Juice ◽

Infection Resistance ◽

Common Serotypes ◽

Breeding Farms

Few studies have focused on assessing Salmonella infection in the nursery and its role in further pig production periods. Mesenteric lymph nodes, intestinal content, and meat juice from 389 6-week-old male piglets intended for human consumption from five breeding farms and 191 pooled floor fecal samples from gilt development units (GDU) from the same farms were analyzed to estimate and characterize (by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and antimicrobial resistance analyses) Salmonella infection. The prevalence of infection and shedding among piglets was 36.5% and 37.3%, respectively, shedding being significantly associated with infection (Odds Ratio = 12.7; CI 7.3–22.0). Salmonella Rissen; S. 4,[5],12:i:-; and S. Derby were the most common serotypes. A low level of Salmonella-specific maternal antibodies at the beginning of the nursery period suggested it was a period of high risk of infection. Resistance to 3rd- and 4th-generation cephalosporins was detected in piglet isolates although the piglets never received antibiotics, indicating they could be vectors of antimicrobial resistance. The same Salmonella clones were detected in piglet and GDU isolates, suggesting that infected piglets play a significant role in the infection of gilts and consequently of finishing pigs in the case of production farms. The control of Salmonella infection in nursery piglets may decrease the risk of abattoir and carcass contamination.

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Treatment of porcine cysticercosis with oxfendazole: a dose-response trial

Veterinary Record ◽

10.1136/vr.141.16.420 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 141 (16) ◽

pp. 420-422 ◽

Cited By ~ 58

Author(s):

A. E. Gonzalez ◽

N. Falcon ◽

C. Gavidia ◽

H. H. Garcia ◽

V. C. W. Tsang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dose Response ◽

Porcine Cysticercosis ◽

Response Trial

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Lymphocyte apoptosis in the inflammatory reaction around Taenia solium metacestodes in porcine cysticercosis

Veterinary Parasitology ◽

10.1016/j.vetpar.2006.03.006 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 140 (1-2) ◽

pp. 171-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Sandra Solano ◽

Isabel M. Cortés ◽

Natalia I. Copitin ◽

Patricia Tato ◽

José L. Molinari

Keyword(s):

Inflammatory Reaction ◽

Taenia Solium ◽

Lymphocyte Apoptosis ◽

Porcine Cysticercosis

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Occurrence of porcine cysticercosis in free-ranging pigs delivered to slaughter points in Arapai, Soroti district, Uganda

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v82i1.888 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 82 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Gerald Zirintunda ◽

Justine Ekou

Keyword(s):

Waste Disposal ◽

Taenia Solium ◽

Postmortem Examination ◽

Human Waste ◽

Free Range ◽

Porcine Cysticercosis ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Free Ranging ◽

Eastern Uganda

Poverty, hunger and the need for production of pigs with meagre or zero inputs have made most farmers release their pigs to range freely, thus creating a pig-human cycle that maintains Taenia solium, the pig tapeworm and cause of porcine cysticercosis, in the ecosystem. A preliminary study was designed to establish the prevalence of porcine cysticercosis by postmortem examination of the tongue and carcass of free-range pigs from February to April 2014 in Arapai subcounty, Soroti district, eastern Uganda. The tongue of each pig was extended and examined before deep incisions were made and the cut surfaces were examined. The rest of the carcasses were examined for cysts. Out of 178 pigs examined, 32 were qualitatively positive for porcine cysticercosis, representing a prevalence of 18.0%. This high prevalence represents a marked risk to the communities in the study area of neurocysticercosis, a debilitating parasitic zoonosis. Proper human waste disposal by use of pit latrines, confinement of free-range pigs and treatment with albendazole and oxfendazole are recommended.

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