The Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Wild Boars from Three Voivodeships in Poland, MAT Analyses.

PURPOSE: The European wild boar (Sus scrofa) is a popular game animal species. Its meat, however, can represent a reservoir of dangerous foodborne diseases and can play an important role in the transmission of many pathogens, including Toxoplasma gondii, in humans and animals worldwide. The aim of the present study was to determine the presence of antibodies to T. gondii in the serum of hunted wild boars in Poland. METHODS: Using the commercial direct agglutination test, 398 serum samples collected during the hunting season 2009/2010 were tested for the presence of T. gondii antibodies, and the titre of 40 was considered indicative of T. gondii infection in analysed samples. RESULTS: It was found that nationwide, 37.7% were seropositive to T. gondii, although seroprevalence varied from 11.6 to 50% depending on the Voivodeship. Significant differences were observed between the Great Poland and Lubusz Voivodeships and between Great Poland and Warmian-Masurian. CONCLUSION: Serological test indicated widespread exposure to T. gondii by wild boar; therefore, consumption of raw or undercooked game meat of infected animals can carry a significant risk of T. gondii infection.

Multilocus genotyping of Giardia duodenalis isolates from red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) from Poland.

A total of 181 faecal samples were collected from wild cervids in two regions of Poland. Giardia cysts were detected in one faecal specimen from red deer and in two samples from roe deer. Fragments of the beta-giardin (bg) triose phosphate isomerase (tpi) and glutamate dehydrogenase (gdh) genes were successfully amplified from the Giardia isolate obtained from red deer, whereas only amplicons of bg and gdh were obtained from Giardia isolates derived from two roe deer. The result of genotyping and phylogenetic analysis showed that the G. duodenalis isolate from red deer belonged to sub-assemblage AIII, which has never been identified in humans, whereas isolates from roe deer clustered within zoonotic sub-assemblage AI. Further studies are necessary to explain which Giardia assemblages and/or sub-assemblages occur in wild cervids in various regions of the world. Moreover, the impact of Giardia infection on the health of wild cervids should also be elucidated.

Giardia prevalence in wild cervids in Poland.

A total of 181 faecal samples were collected from wild cervids in two regions of Poland. Specimens were taken from 65 fallow deer (Dama dama), 61 red deer (Cervus elaphus), 50 roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and five moose (Alces alces). Giardia cysts were detected in one faecal specimen from the red deer and in two samples from the roe deer. Although this study has demonstrated that Giardia infection is remarkably rare in wild cervids, it should be emphasized that there are large populations of these animals in Poland.

The role of free-ranging, captive, and domestic birds of Western Poland in environmental contamination with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts and Giardia lamblia cysts.

As Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia can be disseminated in the environment by avian hosts, a total of 499 fecal dropping from 308 free-ranging, 90 captive, and 101 domestic birds were tested by conventional, immunological, and molecular techniques for these human enteropathogens. Twenty-six (5.2%) tested positive for G. lamblia cysts and 19 (3.8%) for C. parvum oocysts. A bird total of 23 (7.5%) free-ranging, two (2.2%) captive, and one (0.1%) domestic tested positive for cysts, whereas 18 (5.8%) free-ranging, one (1.1%) captive, and zero livestock birds tested positive for oocysts. G. lamblia cysts and C. parvum oocysts were found significantly more frequently in fecal droppings of free-ranging aquatic birds than in birds not normally associated with water. No specimen tested positive for both pathogens simultaneously. Aquatic birds represent an important epidemiologic link in water-associated transmission cycles of Cryptosporidium and Giardia and play a significant role in environmental contamination of aquatic habitats with these anthropozoonotic pathogens.