[Toxoplasmosis: a survey on meat products in Côte d'Ivoire]

Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide parasitic zoonosis that can cause severe problems under certain circumstances. Before the advent of the last-generation anti-retroviral drugs, estimation predicted that 50% of HIV-infected patients would develop toxoplasmosis (mainly central nervous system forms). It is the first clinical manifestation of AIDS in 20% of patients. This report describes an epidemiological survey on the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma antibodies in bushmeat and pork in the Côte d'Ivoire. The purpose was to determine how the parasite circulates among wild and domestic animals and to evaluate the risk of transmission to humans after ingestion of these meats. Fifteen samples of bushmeat were purchased on markets in 6 different cities. A total of 91 single samples of fresh pork raised at three different modern breeding facilities were collected from a slaughterhouse in Abidjan. Serological testing was performed on muscle fluid using an ELISA test (Pourquier Toxoplasma kit). No bushmeat sample was positive. Global seroprevalence in pork samples was 8.8% [range, 8.2-9.37]. The seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis measured in pork samples produced at modern livestock breeding facilities was lower than values reported in samples produced by traditional breeding in Africa. This finding suggests that the use of modern techniques excluding rodents (good hygiene) can reduce animal contamination. Curing (heat and smoking) may account for the absence of Toxoplasma antibodies in bushmeat. Public information campaigns concerning the risk of consuming meat containing cysts as well as raw vegetables contaminated with oocysts are needed to prevent transmission of toxoplasmosis.