Clams and potential foodborne Toxoplasma gondii in Nunavut, Canada
Abstract The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii exposure in Inuit living in Nunavut (20%) is twice that of the US (11%); however, routes of exposure for Inuit communities in North America are unclear. Exposure to T. gondii in humans has been linked with consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish that...
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crwiley:10.1111/zph.12822 2024-09-15T18:15:02+00:00 Clams and potential foodborne Toxoplasma gondii in Nunavut, Canada Fung, Rebecca Manore, Anna J. W. Harper, Sherilee L. Sargeant, Jan M. Shirley, Jamal Caughey, Amy Shapiro, Karen Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ArcticNet 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/zph.12822 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/zph.12822 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/zph.12822 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Zoonoses and Public Health volume 68, issue 3, page 277-283 ISSN 1863-1959 1863-2378 journal-article 2021 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12822 2024-08-06T04:20:06Z Abstract The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii exposure in Inuit living in Nunavut (20%) is twice that of the US (11%); however, routes of exposure for Inuit communities in North America are unclear. Exposure to T. gondii in humans has been linked with consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish that can accumulate environmentally resistant oocysts. Bivalve shellfish, such as clams, are an important, nutritious, affordable and accessible source of food in many Northern Communities. To date, presence of T. gondii in clams in Northern Canada has not been reported. In this study, we tested for T. gondii presence in clams ( Mya truncata ) that were harvested in Iqaluit, Nunavut over a 1‐week period in September 2016. Of 390 clams, eight (2.1%) were confirmed to contain T. gondii DNA (≥99.7% identity), as determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence confirmation. Additionally, three clams (0.8%) were confirmed to contain Neospora caninum ‐like DNA (≥99.2% identity). While N. caninum is not known to be a zoonotic pathogen, its presence in shellfish indicates contamination of the nearshore with canid faeces, and the potential for marine mammal exposure through marine food webs. Notably, the PCR assay employed in this study does not discriminate between viable and non‐viable parasites. These findings suggest a possible route for parasite exposure through shellfish in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Future research employing viability testing will further inform public health messaging on the infectious potential of T. gondii in shellfish. Article in Journal/Newspaper inuit Iqaluit Nunavut Wiley Online Library Zoonoses and Public Health 68 3 277 283 |
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Abstract The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii exposure in Inuit living in Nunavut (20%) is twice that of the US (11%); however, routes of exposure for Inuit communities in North America are unclear. Exposure to T. gondii in humans has been linked with consumption of raw or undercooked shellfish that can accumulate environmentally resistant oocysts. Bivalve shellfish, such as clams, are an important, nutritious, affordable and accessible source of food in many Northern Communities. To date, presence of T. gondii in clams in Northern Canada has not been reported. In this study, we tested for T. gondii presence in clams ( Mya truncata ) that were harvested in Iqaluit, Nunavut over a 1‐week period in September 2016. Of 390 clams, eight (2.1%) were confirmed to contain T. gondii DNA (≥99.7% identity), as determined using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence confirmation. Additionally, three clams (0.8%) were confirmed to contain Neospora caninum ‐like DNA (≥99.2% identity). While N. caninum is not known to be a zoonotic pathogen, its presence in shellfish indicates contamination of the nearshore with canid faeces, and the potential for marine mammal exposure through marine food webs. Notably, the PCR assay employed in this study does not discriminate between viable and non‐viable parasites. These findings suggest a possible route for parasite exposure through shellfish in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Future research employing viability testing will further inform public health messaging on the infectious potential of T. gondii in shellfish. |
author2 |
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada ArcticNet |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Fung, Rebecca Manore, Anna J. W. Harper, Sherilee L. Sargeant, Jan M. Shirley, Jamal Caughey, Amy Shapiro, Karen |
spellingShingle |
Fung, Rebecca Manore, Anna J. W. Harper, Sherilee L. Sargeant, Jan M. Shirley, Jamal Caughey, Amy Shapiro, Karen Clams and potential foodborne Toxoplasma gondii in Nunavut, Canada |
author_facet |
Fung, Rebecca Manore, Anna J. W. Harper, Sherilee L. Sargeant, Jan M. Shirley, Jamal Caughey, Amy Shapiro, Karen |
author_sort |
Fung, Rebecca |
title |
Clams and potential foodborne Toxoplasma gondii in Nunavut, Canada |
title_short |
Clams and potential foodborne Toxoplasma gondii in Nunavut, Canada |
title_full |
Clams and potential foodborne Toxoplasma gondii in Nunavut, Canada |
title_fullStr |
Clams and potential foodborne Toxoplasma gondii in Nunavut, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Clams and potential foodborne Toxoplasma gondii in Nunavut, Canada |
title_sort |
clams and potential foodborne toxoplasma gondii in nunavut, canada |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/zph.12822 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/zph.12822 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/zph.12822 |
genre |
inuit Iqaluit Nunavut |
genre_facet |
inuit Iqaluit Nunavut |
op_source |
Zoonoses and Public Health volume 68, issue 3, page 277-283 ISSN 1863-1959 1863-2378 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12822 |
container_title |
Zoonoses and Public Health |
container_volume |
68 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
277 |
op_container_end_page |
283 |
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1810452784594550784 |