Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in food products in North West of Iran in 2010

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular obligate parasite that causes toxoplasmosis in warmblooded animals including humans. The transmission of the disease is usually attributed to ingestion of undercooked or raw meat products. The aim of this study was to detection of Toxoplasma gondii in meat products using molecular method in East Azerbaijan-North West of Iran. DNA was extracted from 164 meat product samples obtained from 15 commercial establishments. Nested-polymerase chain reaction with primers specific for Toxoplasma gondii SAG2 locus was used for detection of the parasite in samples. Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected in 25%, 20.3%, 21.8%, and 32.8%, in salami, sausage, hamburger, kebab samples, respectively. The results of this study indicated high prevalence of Toxoplasma contamination in food products in study region.