Toxoplasma gondii DNA in Tissues of Anadromous Arctic Charr, Salvelinus alpinus, Collected From Nunavik, Québec, Canada

IF 2.4 2区农林科学 Q3 INFECTIOUS DISEASES Zoonoses and Public Health Pub Date : 2024-09-09 DOI:10.1111/zph.13175

Harriet Merks, Renessa Gomes, Shawna Zhu, Mahdid Meymandy, Sarah J. Reiling, Sara Bolduc, Julien Mainguy, Brent R. Dixon

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Abstract

Background

Toxoplasma gondii is a very common zoonotic parasite in humans and animals worldwide. Human seroprevalence is high in some regions of Canada's North and is thought to be associated with the consumption of traditionally prepared country foods, such as caribou, walrus, ringed seal and beluga. While numerous studies have reported on the prevalence of T. gondii in these animals, in the general absence of felid definitive hosts in the North there has been considerable debate regarding the source of infection, particularly in marine mammals. It has been proposed that fish could be involved in this transmission.

Aims

The objectives of the present study were to perform a targeted survey to determine the prevalence of T. gondii DNA in various tissues of anadromous Arctic charr sampled in Nunavik, Québec, and to investigate the possible role of this commonly consumed fish in the transmission of infection to humans and marine mammals in Canada's North.

Methods and Results

A total of 126 individual Arctic charr were sampled from several sites in Nunavik, and various tissues were tested for the presence of T. gondii DNA using PCR. Overall, 12 out of 126 (9.5%) Arctic charr tested in the present study were PCR-positive, as confirmed by DNA sequencing. Brain tissue was most commonly found to be positive, followed by heart tissue, while none of the dorsal muscle samples tested were positive.

Conclusions

Although the presence of T. gondii DNA in brain and heart tissues of Arctic charr is very intriguing, infection in these fish, and their possible role in the transmission of this parasite to humans and marine mammals, will need to be confirmed using mouse bioassays. Arctic charr are likely exposed to T. gondii through the ingestion of oocysts transported by surface water and ocean currents from more southerly regions where the definitive felid hosts are more abundant. If infection in Arctic charr can be confirmed, it is possible that these fish could play an important role in the transmission of toxoplasmosis to Inuit, either directly through the consumption of raw fish or indirectly through the infection of fish-eating marine mammals harvested as country foods.

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从加拿大魁北克努纳维克采集的溯河北极鲑鱼组织中的弓形虫 DNA

背景弓形虫是一种非常常见的人畜共患寄生虫，在世界各地的人类和动物中都有感染。加拿大北部一些地区的人类血清流行率很高，据认为这与食用传统的乡村食物（如驯鹿、海象、环斑海豹和白鲸）有关。虽然许多研究报告了这些动物中的淋病双球菌流行情况，但由于北方地区普遍缺乏猫科动物的确定宿主，因此关于感染源，尤其是海洋哺乳动物的感染源，一直存在大量争议。本研究的目的是进行一次有针对性的调查，以确定在魁北克努纳维克采样的溯河北极鲑鱼各种组织中的淋病双球菌 DNA 的流行率，并调查这种常吃的鱼类在加拿大北部地区向人类和海洋哺乳动物传播感染中可能扮演的角色。方法与结果在努纳维克的几个地点共采集了126条北极鲑鱼样本，并利用PCR技术检测了各种组织中是否存在淋病双球菌DNA。总体而言，本研究检测的126只北极红点鲑中有12只（9.5%）PCR呈阳性，DNA测序结果也证实了这一点。结论虽然北极红点鲑的脑组织和心脏组织中出现了淋病双球菌 DNA 的现象非常引人关注，但这些鱼类是否感染了淋病双球菌，以及它们在将这种寄生虫传播给人类和海洋哺乳动物方面可能扮演的角色，还需要使用小鼠生物测定法进行确认。北极红点鲑很可能是通过摄入由地表水和洋流从南方地区传播过来的卵囊而感染了淋病双球菌，因为南方地区的猫科动物宿主更多。如果能证实北极红点鲑感染弓形虫，那么这些鱼类就有可能在向因纽特人传播弓形虫病的过程中扮演重要角色，要么直接通过食用生鱼，要么间接通过感染作为乡村食物捕获的食鱼海洋哺乳动物。

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来源期刊

Zoonoses and Public Health 医学-传染病学

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

4.20%

发文量

115

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Zoonoses and Public Health brings together veterinary and human health researchers and policy-makers by providing a venue for publishing integrated and global approaches to zoonoses and public health. The Editors will consider papers that focus on timely collaborative and multi-disciplinary research in zoonoses and public health. This journal provides rapid publication of original papers, reviews, and potential discussion papers embracing this collaborative spirit. Papers should advance the scientific knowledge of the sources, transmission, prevention and control of zoonoses and be authored by scientists with expertise in areas such as microbiology, virology, parasitology and epidemiology. Articles that incorporate recent data into new methods, applications, or approaches (e.g. statistical modeling) which enhance public health are strongly encouraged.