Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in Kiambu, Kenya

Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite of public health concern, with severe health consequences among immunocompromised individuals and pregnant mothers. Pigs are intermediate hosts of this zoonotic parasite and consumption of undercooked pork is a risk factor for T. gondii infection....

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Autores principales: Chepyatich, Dorcas, Sentamu, Derrick N., Bor, Nicholas, Onono, J., Gathura, P.B., Akoko, James M., Thomas, Lian F.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: MDPI 2023
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Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132486
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author Chepyatich, Dorcas
Sentamu, Derrick N.
Bor, Nicholas
Onono, J.
Gathura, P.B.
Akoko, James M.
Thomas, Lian F.
author_browse Akoko, James M.
Bor, Nicholas
Chepyatich, Dorcas
Gathura, P.B.
Onono, J.
Sentamu, Derrick N.
Thomas, Lian F.
author_facet Chepyatich, Dorcas
Sentamu, Derrick N.
Bor, Nicholas
Onono, J.
Gathura, P.B.
Akoko, James M.
Thomas, Lian F.
author_sort Chepyatich, Dorcas
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite of public health concern, with severe health consequences among immunocompromised individuals and pregnant mothers. Pigs are intermediate hosts of this zoonotic parasite and consumption of undercooked pork is a risk factor for T. gondii infection. We investigated the seroprevalence and risk factors for T. gondii in pigs in Kenya. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a non-integrated abattoir in Kiambu, Kenya, where 446 blood samples were collected from slaughtered pigs between 5 January and 5 March 2021. For each pig sampled, additional data were collected on the county of origin, farm size, sex and live weight. Serum was harvested from each pig blood sample, and these were subjected to indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests to detect the presence of immunoglobin G (IgG) for T. gondii infection. The overall seroprevalence for T. gondii was 34.53% (95% C.I. 30.16–39.17). Risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity in pigs included farm size (p < 0.001) and the live weight of pigs (p = 0.044). The high seroprevalence of T. gondii indicates that consumers of raw and undercooked pork may be at a high risk of infection. It is therefore recommended that strategies for the mitigation of risk of exposure in populations should prioritize public health education for pig farmers, pork handlers and consumers on risk reduction measures along the pork value chains.
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spelling CGSpace1324862025-12-08T10:29:22Z Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in Kiambu, Kenya Chepyatich, Dorcas Sentamu, Derrick N. Bor, Nicholas Onono, J. Gathura, P.B. Akoko, James M. Thomas, Lian F. food safety zoonoses animal products swine Toxoplasma gondii is a ubiquitous protozoan parasite of public health concern, with severe health consequences among immunocompromised individuals and pregnant mothers. Pigs are intermediate hosts of this zoonotic parasite and consumption of undercooked pork is a risk factor for T. gondii infection. We investigated the seroprevalence and risk factors for T. gondii in pigs in Kenya. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a non-integrated abattoir in Kiambu, Kenya, where 446 blood samples were collected from slaughtered pigs between 5 January and 5 March 2021. For each pig sampled, additional data were collected on the county of origin, farm size, sex and live weight. Serum was harvested from each pig blood sample, and these were subjected to indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay tests to detect the presence of immunoglobin G (IgG) for T. gondii infection. The overall seroprevalence for T. gondii was 34.53% (95% C.I. 30.16–39.17). Risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity in pigs included farm size (p < 0.001) and the live weight of pigs (p = 0.044). The high seroprevalence of T. gondii indicates that consumers of raw and undercooked pork may be at a high risk of infection. It is therefore recommended that strategies for the mitigation of risk of exposure in populations should prioritize public health education for pig farmers, pork handlers and consumers on risk reduction measures along the pork value chains. 2023-12-01 2023-10-26T14:42:17Z 2023-10-26T14:42:17Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132486 en Open Access MDPI Chepyatich, D., Sentamu, D.N., Bor, N., Onono, J., Gathura, P.B., Akoko, J.M. and Thomas, L.F. 2023. Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in Kiambu, Kenya. Zoonotic Diseases 3(4): 301–306.
spellingShingle food safety
zoonoses
animal products
swine
Chepyatich, Dorcas
Sentamu, Derrick N.
Bor, Nicholas
Onono, J.
Gathura, P.B.
Akoko, James M.
Thomas, Lian F.
Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in Kiambu, Kenya
title Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in Kiambu, Kenya
title_full Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in Kiambu, Kenya
title_fullStr Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in Kiambu, Kenya
title_full_unstemmed Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in Kiambu, Kenya
title_short Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in Kiambu, Kenya
title_sort seroprevalence of toxoplasma gondii in slaughtered pigs in kiambu kenya
topic food safety
zoonoses
animal products
swine
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/132486
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