The use of meat juice serology in the diagnostics of invasive protist Toxoplasma gondii in slaughterhouse processed pigs

Trenutačno obveznim makroskopskim pregledom mesa nije moguće detektirati najčešće uzročnike bolesti koji se prenose svinjskim mesom (Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica i Toxoplasma gondii), pa je nužno koristiti se odabranim epidemiološkim indikatorima rizika od farme do klaonice. Stoga je cilj ovog istraživanja bio utvrditi seroprevalenciju T. gondii u mesnom soku, iz ošita svinja uzetog prilikom klaoničke obrade. Komercijalnim testom ELISA pretražen je ukupno 91 uzorak mesnog soka domaćih svinja, od kojih 54 potječu s 18 velikih svinjogojskih farmi te 37 iz 18 malih obiteljskih farmi. Protutijela za T. gondii pronađena su u 13 % svinja i na 17 % farmi. T. gondii seropozitivne svinje potjecale su samo s malih obiteljskih farmi (P < 0,05). Kategorija biosigurnosti farmi imala je utjecaj na seroprevalenciju T. gondii.Currently, mandatory macroscopic examination of meat cannot detect the most common pork-borne pathogens (Salmonella spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, and Toxoplasma gondii), making it necessary to use selected epidemiological risk indicators from farm to slaughterhouse. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of T. gondii in meat juice from pig diaphragms collected during processing at the slaughterhouse. A total of 91 meat juice samples from domestic pigs were analyzed using a commercial ELISA assay, of which 54 were from 18 large pig farms and 37 from 18 small family farms. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 13% of the pigs and 17% of the farms. The T. gondii seropositive pigs were only from small family farms (p < 0.05). The biosecurity category of the farm had an influence on the seroprevalence of T. gondii