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**Cgnebksb** · 09-05-2012, 05:19 AM

It's generally know thought that toxo is at very low levels in intensive pork, however the OIE have raised the trend towards free range and organic as being at increased risk of infection with toxo and other zoonoses..

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Ref?

http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/55/6/845.abstract

Abstract

Toxoplasmosis can be due to congenital infection or acquired infection after birth and is one of the leading illnesses associated with foodborne hospitalizations and deaths. Undercooked meat, especially pork, lamb, and wild game meat, and soil contaminated with cat feces on raw fruits and vegetables are the major sources of foodborne transmission for humans. The new trend in the production of free-range organically raised meat could increase the risk of Toxoplasma gondii contamination of meat. Foodborne transmission can be prevented by production practices that reduce T. gondii in meat, adequate cooking of meat, washing of raw fruits and vegetables, prevention of cross contamination in the kitchen, and measures that decrease spread of viable oocysts into the environment.

Infected Meat

In the United States, poultry, pork, and beef are the main meats consumed. In a recent nationwide study of the prevalence of T. gondii in retail meat, viable organisms were isolated from only 7 of 2094 pork samples and none of 2094 beef or 2094 chicken samples [10]. However, parasitological surveys based on retail meat samples do not provide a true assessment of risk from fresh meat because nearly half of the pork and a substantial amount of chicken are injected with salts and water, which can kill T. gondii tissue cysts [11]; the product is labeled with the ingredients of the treatments and the term “enhanced” meat may also be used [10]. Further, most retail chicken sold in the United States is frozen, which also kills T. gondii cysts. In this section, we will discuss meat sources of T. gondii for humans.

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Kijlstra et al. [13] found that 0 of 621 conventionally raised pigs were seropositive for T. gondii, while 38 of 1295 (2.9%) pigs raised in “animal friendly” management systems were seropositive for T. gondii. Recently, viable T. gondii was isolated from 17 of 33 organically raised pigs from Michigan [14] (Table 1).

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In contrast to the bioassay results, antibodies to T. gondii were found in 1.3% of the juice extracted from the breast meat from the 2094 chicken samples obtained at retail stores using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which suggests that T. gondii can occur in commercially marketed chickens in the United States, although the bioassay results from the retail meat survey [10] indicate that the risk from commercial chicken is small. The recent trend of consumers demanding meat from organically grown free range poultry will probably increase the prevalence of T. gondii in chickens consumed by humans. Unlike indoor raised chickens, the prevalence of T. gondii in free-range chickens is very high (United States, 17%–100%) [16].

[16] Zoonoses Public Health. 2010 Feb;57(1):60-73. Epub 2009 Sep 10.

Toxoplasma gondii infections in chickens (Gallus domesticus): prevalence, clinical disease, diagnosis and public health significance.

Dubey JP.

Abstract

Chickens are considered one of the most important hosts in the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection because they are an efficient source of infection for cats that excrete the environmentally resistant oocysts and because humans may become infected with this parasite after eating undercooked infected chicken meat. The objective of this study is to review worldwide prevalence of T. gondii infection in chickens and to assess the role of infected chickens in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in humans. A very high prevalence of the parasite was found in chickens raised in backyards (up to 100%) and free-range organic (30-50%) establishments.

09-05-2012, 05:19 AM	#8
Cgnebksb Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 357 Senior Member	It's generally know thought that toxo is at very low levels in intensive pork, however the OIE have raised the trend towards free range and organic as being at increased risk of infection with toxo and other zoonoses.. --- Ref? http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/55/6/845.abstract Abstract Toxoplasmosis can be due to congenital infection or acquired infection after birth and is one of the leading illnesses associated with foodborne hospitalizations and deaths. Undercooked meat, especially pork, lamb, and wild game meat, and soil contaminated with cat feces on raw fruits and vegetables are the major sources of foodborne transmission for humans. The new trend in the production of free-range organically raised meat could increase the risk of Toxoplasma gondii contamination of meat. Foodborne transmission can be prevented by production practices that reduce T. gondii in meat, adequate cooking of meat, washing of raw fruits and vegetables, prevention of cross contamination in the kitchen, and measures that decrease spread of viable oocysts into the environment. Infected Meat In the United States, poultry, pork, and beef are the main meats consumed. In a recent nationwide study of the prevalence of T. gondii in retail meat, viable organisms were isolated from only 7 of 2094 pork samples and none of 2094 beef or 2094 chicken samples [10]. However, parasitological surveys based on retail meat samples do not provide a true assessment of risk from fresh meat because nearly half of the pork and a substantial amount of chicken are injected with salts and water, which can kill T. gondii tissue cysts [11]; the product is labeled with the ingredients of the treatments and the term “enhanced” meat may also be used [10]. Further, most retail chicken sold in the United States is frozen, which also kills T. gondii cysts. In this section, we will discuss meat sources of T. gondii for humans. ... Kijlstra et al. [13] found that 0 of 621 conventionally raised pigs were seropositive for T. gondii, while 38 of 1295 (2.9%) pigs raised in “animal friendly” management systems were seropositive for T. gondii. Recently, viable T. gondii was isolated from 17 of 33 organically raised pigs from Michigan [14] (Table 1). ... In contrast to the bioassay results, antibodies to T. gondii were found in 1.3% of the juice extracted from the breast meat from the 2094 chicken samples obtained at retail stores using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which suggests that T. gondii can occur in commercially marketed chickens in the United States, although the bioassay results from the retail meat survey [10] indicate that the risk from commercial chicken is small. The recent trend of consumers demanding meat from organically grown free range poultry will probably increase the prevalence of T. gondii in chickens consumed by humans. Unlike indoor raised chickens, the prevalence of T. gondii in free-range chickens is very high (United States, 17%–100%) [16]. [16] Zoonoses Public Health. 2010 Feb;57(1):60-73. Epub 2009 Sep 10. Toxoplasma gondii infections in chickens (Gallus domesticus): prevalence, clinical disease, diagnosis and public health significance. Dubey JP. Abstract Chickens are considered one of the most important hosts in the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii infection because they are an efficient source of infection for cats that excrete the environmentally resistant oocysts and because humans may become infected with this parasite after eating undercooked infected chicken meat. The objective of this study is to review worldwide prevalence of T. gondii infection in chickens and to assess the role of infected chickens in the epidemiology of toxoplasmosis in humans. A very high prevalence of the parasite was found in chickens raised in backyards (up to 100%) and free-range organic (30-50%) establishments.
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