Risk Factors for Bovine Cysticercosis in North-West Italy: A Multi-Year Case-Control Study

Taenia saginata is the causative agent of bovine cysticercosis, a zoonotic parasitic disease with a worldwide distribution. Bovine cysticercosis is considered to be an important food safety issue responsible for human taeniasis and a major economic concern since infected carcasses undergo condemnation, freezing and downgrading. The aim of the current investigation was to assess the presence of farm-level risk factors for bovine cysticercosis in an endemic area in North-West Italy. A questionnaire was designed to collect information relating to several farm structural features, as well as management practices, environmental characteristics and attitudes of farmers. The questionnaire was administered in two separate time intervals by direct interview to previously selected case and control farms. Overall, 32 case farms and 131 control farms were included between 2005 and 2011 and 50 case farms and 192 control farms were included between 2014 and 2020. The present survey showed a significant association between the detection of bovine cysticercosis cases at slaughter and farm proximity to picnic spots, closeness of wastewater treatment plant effluents, loose-housing systems and presence of employees along with the family members, highlighting the need for targeted awareness raising policies.

The survival and dispersal of Taenia eggs in the environment: what are the implications for transmission? A systematic review

Taenia spp. are responsible for a substantial health and economic burden in affected populations. Knowledge of the fate of the eggs of Taenia spp. in the environment and of other factors facilitating the transmission of eggs to intermediate hosts is important for the control/elimination of infections caused by Taenia spp. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize current knowledge of the factors influencing the survival and dispersal of Taenia spp. eggs in the environment. Publications retrieved from international databases were systematically reviewed. Of the 1465 papers initially identified, data were ultimately extracted from 93 papers. The results of this systematic review indicate that survival is favoured at moderate temperatures (0–20 °C). Humidity seems to affect the survival of Taenia spp. eggs more than temperature. Under field circumstances, Taenia spp. eggs have been found to survive for up to 1 year. Taenia spp. eggs are commonly found on vegetables (0.9–30%) and in soil and water samples (0–43%), with their presence posing a risk to the consumer. Invertebrates may act as transport hosts, transferring the infection to an intermediate host, but the importance of this route of transmission is still open to question. Wastewater treatment systems are not capable of entirely eliminating Taenia spp. eggs. Access to surface water and the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer on pastures are important risk factors for bovine cysticercosis. Although information on the survival and spread of Taenia spp. eggs is available, in general the data retrieved and reviewed in this article were old, focused on very specific geographical regions and may not be relevant for other areas or not specific for different Taenia spp. Furthermore, it is unknown whether egg survival differs according to Taenia sp. Future studies are necessary to identify sustainable methods to identify and inactivate parasite eggs in the environment and reduce their spread.

Cysticercosis in Madagascar

Introduction: Cysticercosis (CC) is the most common parasitic disease of the central nervous system. It is endemic in most developing countries where pigs are raised and consumed. An overview of all available data of this parasite in Madagascar is lacking. Methodology: We conducted a literature review, collecting information on published and available literature about cysticercosis in Madagascar between January 1st, 1990 and June 30th, 2020. Results: Out of 858 publications; 61 were included, issued from peer-review indexed journals, non-indexed journals, books, Ministry reports and press releases. In Madagascar, porcine cysticercosis has been reported since 1901; human cysticercosis is highly prevalent with an overall estimated seroprevalence between 7 and 21%. Serological analysis is based on Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot techniques (EITB) for confirmative testing. Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is the most common pattern of cysticercosis in Madagascar and it is reponsible for pediatric morbidity causing more than 50% of epilepsy cases. Though CT-Scan is now available and tends to be considered the gold standard for NCC diagnosis, it remains unaffordable for most Malagasy patients and implies the proposal of a diagnostic algorithm for physicians. Conclusions: Our review has revealed that human taeniasis and bovine cysticercosis is a considerable burden in Madagascar. A national control program has been developed aiming to decrease the seroprevalence rate from 16 to 10% in 2015. The aim of the country is now to implement a CC control and elimination program. Meanwhile, some massive cysticercosis screenings have been conducted in the capital Antananarivo to drive people's attention on this widespread infection.

Bovine cysticercosis outbreak in an indoor beef finisher farm in the North of England

Bovine cysticercosis is a parasitic infection of cattle caused by the human tapeworm Taenia saginata. Bovine cysticercosis was identified by meat inspection in 4.7 per cent (18 out of 380) of the cattle submitted for slaughter, over an 8-month period, from a beef finisher farm. This value is significantly higher compared with the 2019 annual rate of detection from England meat inspection data, which was 0.018 per cent. Two of the 18 carcases were condemned on the grounds of generalised bovine cysticercosis. Its involvement was investigated by histopathological examination and confirmed using PCR and sequencing. Animal and Plant Health Agency collected data regarding the feed, the source of livestock, the staff sanitary conditions, the husbandry system, management and the farm environment. The results indicated that the permanently housed cattle were most likely infected on the finisher unit by homemade grass silage produced from a field which was crossed by a public footpath and bordered by two camp sites.