Current status of food-borne parasitic zoonoses in South Africa and Namibia.

ABSTRACT

Epidemiological data on food-borne parasitic zoonoses in countries of southern Africa are sporadic. In a study of toxoplasmosis in South Africa, there was an overall prevalence of 21% (2, 147/10,228). Prevalences vary between the different cultural groups and from one geographical region to another. The prevalence rate for the San (Bushmen) people of Namibia and Botswana was 9% (65/725) compared to the 30% (190/635) found in the Indian and Black communities of Kwazulu-Natal province, South Africa. These variations are probably linked to the dietary habits of the different cultural communities. Cysticercosis appears to be most prevalent in the Eastern Cape Province (former Transkei), where pigs roam freely and sanitation facilities are inadequate or non-existent. Segments of tapeworms often feature as an ingredient of concoctions prepared by traditional healers and are suspected sources of many of the cases of cysticercosis in South Africa. Trichinella nelsoni has been identified in wild game in South Africa so far no cases of infection in humans have been recorded. Cases of Sarcocystis have been identified in some instances but infection is probably underdiagnosed in the country.