Toxoplasmosis in feral wild boars (Sus scrofa) in São Paulo State

The consumption of wild boar meat, common in many countries, became popular in Brazil after the hunting of these animals be authorized in 2013. However, meat and viscera of slaughtered animals are also occasionally consumed by human and hunting dogs. Given the high frequency of foodborne diseases of animals, including toxoplasmosis, better knowledge of disease epidemiology is essential for risk assessment and studies of education campaigns aimed at the exposed public. Thus, this study purpose at diagnosing, isolating and genotyping Toxoplasma gondii in ferals boars, hunted by managers of fauna and used for human and animal consumption. Samples of serum and tissues (brain, tongue, diaphragm and heart) from 26 boar from three megaregions in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, were used. The samples were submitted to the Indirect Immunofluorescence Reaction (RIFI) test while the tissue samples (n = 22) were used to perform a bioassay in mice to isolate the parasite. The isolated samples were genetically characterized by PCR-RFLP with SAG1, 5 'and 3' SAG2, alt.SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1 and Apico markers. Questionnaires were also formulated and applied to wildlife managers in order to assess knowledge about toxoplasmosis. The seroprevalence of T. gondii was 76.92% (20/26), with titles ranging from 16 to 1024. Viable parasites accounted for 4.54% (1/22) of the samples. The ToxoDB #6 genotype of TgJava1 alone was detected. Approximately 84.20% (16/19) of wild pig handlers consume game meat and 15.78% (3/19) also target dog food. The results concluded that the infection by T. gondii is present in the wild boars used for human and animal consumption, in the regions of the State of São Paulo. Although genotype #6 is commonly found in Brazil, this study found for the first time, with the detection of this genotype in wild boars. These results also reaffirm the importance of these animals, as a source of infection for the spread of toxoplasmosis in humans and domestic animals. (AU)