Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and Neospora caninum-like parasites in seals from northern and eastern Canada: potential risk to consumers
Zoonotic parasites of seals that are harvested for food may pose a health risk when seal meat or organ tissues of infected animals are eaten raw or undercooked. In this study, 124 tissue samples from 81 seals, comprising four species, were collected from northern and eastern Canada. Tissues from 23...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:0be8780bfd8344179b8f40f018914473 2023-05-15T15:59:54+02:00 Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and Neospora caninum-like parasites in seals from northern and eastern Canada: potential risk to consumers Sarah J. Reiling Lena Measures Sandy Feng Ryan Boone Harriet Merks Brent R. Dixon 2019-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00067 https://doaj.org/article/0be8780bfd8344179b8f40f018914473 EN eng Elsevier http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405676619300289 https://doaj.org/toc/2405-6766 2405-6766 doi:10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00067 https://doaj.org/article/0be8780bfd8344179b8f40f018914473 Food and Waterborne Parasitology, Vol 17, Iss , Pp - (2019) Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00067 2022-12-31T01:09:37Z Zoonotic parasites of seals that are harvested for food may pose a health risk when seal meat or organ tissues of infected animals are eaten raw or undercooked. In this study, 124 tissue samples from 81 seals, comprising four species, were collected from northern and eastern Canada. Tissues from 23 ringed seals (Pusa hispida), 8 hooded seals (Cystophora cristata), 21 harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus), and 29 grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) were tested for parasites of the Sarcocystidae family including Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis spp., and Neospora spp. using nested PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Toxoplasma gondii DNA was present in 26% of ringed seals, 63% of hooded seals, 57% of harp seals, and 31% of grey seals. Sarcocystis sp. DNA was found in 9% of ringed seals, 13% of hooded seals, 14% of harp seals, and 4% of grey seals, while N. caninum-like DNA was present in 26% of ringed seals. While it is unclear how pinnipeds may become infected with these protozoans, horizontal transmission is most likely. However, one harp seal pup (4 days old) was PCR-positive for T. gondii, suggesting vertical transmission may also occur. Phylogenetic analysis of the 18S gene region indicates that Sarcocystis sp. in these seals belongs to a unique genotype. Furthermore, this study represents a new host report for T. gondii in harp seals, a new host and geographic report for N. caninum-like parasites in ringed seals, and four new hosts and geographic reports for Sarcocystis sp. These results demonstrate that parasites of the Sarcocystidae family are prevalent in northern and eastern Canadian seals. While the zoonotic potential of Sarcocystis sp. and the N. caninum-like parasite are unclear, consumption of raw or undercooked seal meat or organ tissues pose a risk of T. gondii infection to consumers. Keywords: Toxoplasma, Sarcocystis, Neospora, Seals, Zoonotic, Canada Article in Journal/Newspaper Cystophora cristata Harp Seal Pagophilus groenlandicus Pusa hispida Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada Food and Waterborne Parasitology 17 e00067 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
spellingShingle |
Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 Sarah J. Reiling Lena Measures Sandy Feng Ryan Boone Harriet Merks Brent R. Dixon Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and Neospora caninum-like parasites in seals from northern and eastern Canada: potential risk to consumers |
topic_facet |
Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
description |
Zoonotic parasites of seals that are harvested for food may pose a health risk when seal meat or organ tissues of infected animals are eaten raw or undercooked. In this study, 124 tissue samples from 81 seals, comprising four species, were collected from northern and eastern Canada. Tissues from 23 ringed seals (Pusa hispida), 8 hooded seals (Cystophora cristata), 21 harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus), and 29 grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) were tested for parasites of the Sarcocystidae family including Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis spp., and Neospora spp. using nested PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Toxoplasma gondii DNA was present in 26% of ringed seals, 63% of hooded seals, 57% of harp seals, and 31% of grey seals. Sarcocystis sp. DNA was found in 9% of ringed seals, 13% of hooded seals, 14% of harp seals, and 4% of grey seals, while N. caninum-like DNA was present in 26% of ringed seals. While it is unclear how pinnipeds may become infected with these protozoans, horizontal transmission is most likely. However, one harp seal pup (4 days old) was PCR-positive for T. gondii, suggesting vertical transmission may also occur. Phylogenetic analysis of the 18S gene region indicates that Sarcocystis sp. in these seals belongs to a unique genotype. Furthermore, this study represents a new host report for T. gondii in harp seals, a new host and geographic report for N. caninum-like parasites in ringed seals, and four new hosts and geographic reports for Sarcocystis sp. These results demonstrate that parasites of the Sarcocystidae family are prevalent in northern and eastern Canadian seals. While the zoonotic potential of Sarcocystis sp. and the N. caninum-like parasite are unclear, consumption of raw or undercooked seal meat or organ tissues pose a risk of T. gondii infection to consumers. Keywords: Toxoplasma, Sarcocystis, Neospora, Seals, Zoonotic, Canada |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Sarah J. Reiling Lena Measures Sandy Feng Ryan Boone Harriet Merks Brent R. Dixon |
author_facet |
Sarah J. Reiling Lena Measures Sandy Feng Ryan Boone Harriet Merks Brent R. Dixon |
author_sort |
Sarah J. Reiling |
title |
Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and Neospora caninum-like parasites in seals from northern and eastern Canada: potential risk to consumers |
title_short |
Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and Neospora caninum-like parasites in seals from northern and eastern Canada: potential risk to consumers |
title_full |
Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and Neospora caninum-like parasites in seals from northern and eastern Canada: potential risk to consumers |
title_fullStr |
Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and Neospora caninum-like parasites in seals from northern and eastern Canada: potential risk to consumers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis sp. and Neospora caninum-like parasites in seals from northern and eastern Canada: potential risk to consumers |
title_sort |
toxoplasma gondii, sarcocystis sp. and neospora caninum-like parasites in seals from northern and eastern canada: potential risk to consumers |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00067 https://doaj.org/article/0be8780bfd8344179b8f40f018914473 |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Cystophora cristata Harp Seal Pagophilus groenlandicus Pusa hispida |
genre_facet |
Cystophora cristata Harp Seal Pagophilus groenlandicus Pusa hispida |
op_source |
Food and Waterborne Parasitology, Vol 17, Iss , Pp - (2019) |
op_relation |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405676619300289 https://doaj.org/toc/2405-6766 2405-6766 doi:10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00067 https://doaj.org/article/0be8780bfd8344179b8f40f018914473 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fawpar.2019.e00067 |
container_title |
Food and Waterborne Parasitology |
container_volume |
17 |
container_start_page |
e00067 |
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1766395794621988864 |