Research Publications (Food Safety)

Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of the parasitic disease toxoplasmosis, which is an important food borne zoonosis. Eating undercooked meat of infected animals has been considered the major transmission route of T. gondii to humans. The present study evaluates the efficacy of domestic freezing on the inactivation of T. gondii bradyzoites in raw and dry-cured ham. Meat (raw and dry-cured ham) of a pig experimentally orally inoculated with 4,000 oocysts of T.

Toxoplasma gondii , hepatitis E virus (HEV) and Salmonella are zoonotic foodborne pathogens that may be transmitted to humans through the consumption of raw or undercooked pork.  The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of anti- Toxoplasma gondii , anti-HEV and anti- Salmonella antibodies from healthy pigs at slaughter in Switzerland.

Novel foods such as edible insects and food products based on insects could play an important role in both human and animal nutrition in the future. The identification of dangers associated with insect consumption is fundamental to guarantee consumer safety and adequate regulatory guidelines for operators of the food sector.

Toxoplasma gondii  a ubiquitous obligate intracellular parasite that can infect all warm-blooded animals, is one of the main pathogens causing foodborne diseases worldwide. In Gaza – Palestine, the leafy vegetables are frequently eaten raw.  The present study was carried out to investigate the occurrence of T. gondii oocyst in local leafy vegetables.

Berries are potential vehicles for the transmission of parasites and have been implicated in illness outbreaks in various countries around the world, particularly in the USA. Although data on contamination of fresh produce with foodborne parasites have been obtained from different global regions, data from Colombia are lacking despite South America being a major producer of fresh produce, which is consumed both nationally and exported.

Toxoplasmosis has been recognized as a major public health problem worldwide. The consumption of uncooked/undercooked meat infected with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) tissue cysts is one of the main sources for the transmission of this parasite. Although sheep, goats, and pigs are commonly infected with T. gondii, there is little information concerning the distribution of T. gondii tissue cysts in naturally infected meat. In this study, we investigated the distribution of viable T.

The economic burden of foodborne illness has been estimated to be as high as $90 billion annually.  For policy purposes, it is often important to understand not just the overall cost of illness, but also the costs associated with individual products or groups of products. In this study, I estimate the cost of foodborne illnesses from 29 pathogens associated with non-game meat and poultry products that are regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The detection of Toxoplasma gondii in quick-frozen chickens is a good indicator of the possible transmission risk that this parasite poses to human consumers. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of T. gondii in quick-frozen chicken hearts using a nested PCR assay. Heart samples (n = 720) from farmers' markets and supermarkets in the Tai'an region, People's Republic of China, were collected, and the DNA extracted was analyzed for the presence of T. gondii.

Journal of Food Protection, Volume 82, Issue 3, Page 535-542, March 2019.

Journal of Food Protection, Volume 81, Issue 8, Page 1373-1378, August 2018.

Journal of Food Protection, Volume 80, Issue 3, Page 515-522, March 2017. To evaluate the occurrence of Toxoplasma gondii and to genetically characterize its isolates in carcasses of industrial fattening pigs, blood, diaphragm, and heart samples were collected from 375 carcasses of pigs slaughtered to be processed for Parma ham production. Pigs had been bred on approved farms (n = 75) located in the so-called Food Valley in Italy. Sera were examined for immunoglobulin G antibodies to T.

Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent protozoan parasite worldwide. Human toxoplasmosis is responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality in the United States, and meat products have been identified as an important source of T. gondii infections in humans. The goal of this study was to develop a farm-to-table quantitative microbial risk assessment model to predict the public health burden in the United States associated with consumption of U.S. domestically produced lamb. T.

This study investigated the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in cattle in Gyeongbuk province, the largest producer of cattle in Korea. Of blood samples obtained from 568 animals, 0.5% (3 of 568) tested seropositive for T. gondii by using a commercial ELISA kit. Among young individuals (≤1 year old), adult individuals (2 years old), and old individuals (≥3 years old), 0 (0%) of 37, 3 (0.6%) of 474, and 0 (0%) of 57 were seropositive, respectively.

Toxoplasma gondii is a global protozoan parasite capable of infecting most warm-blooded animals. Although healthy adult humans generally have no symptoms, severe illness does occur in certain groups, including congenitally infected fetuses and newborns, immunocompromised individuals including transplant patients. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that consumption of raw or undercooked meat products is one of the major sources of infection with T. gondii.