Laboratório de Doenças Parasitárias (LADOPAR), Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Av. Roraima, 1000, Prédio 63D, Santa Maria, Rio Grande Do Sul 97105-900, Brazil.
Laboratório de Microbiologia e Imunologia Veterinária (LAMIVET), Instituto Federal Farroupilha, Campus Frederico Westphalen, Linha 7 de Setembro, BR 386 - KM 40 s/n, Frederico Westphalen, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2024 May;50:101020. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2024.101020. Epub 2024 Apr 7.
Sarcocystis spp. are protozoan parasites that form cysts in the organs and musculature of various animal species. The species Sarcocystis miescheriana and Sarcocystis suihominis are pathogenic to pigs and wild boars (Sus scrofa), acting as intermediate hosts, while humans are the definitive host for S. suihominis. To date, there have been no reports of the identification of these coccidian species in Sus scrofa in Brazil. Therefore, in this study, we conducted the first molecular identification of Sarcocystis species using PCR-RFLP and sequencing. A total of 210 samples were analyzed, of this total, 67 tested positive for Sarcocystis spp., representing 31.9% of the total samples assessed. Out of the total positive samples, 55 (82.1%) were identified as S. miescheriana and 8 (11.9%) as S. suihominis, a zoonotic species. Additionally, other species related to bovines, such as S. cruzi and zoonotic S. hominis, were detected in 3.0% of the samples, serving as contaminants in the pork products. The presence of S. suihominis in swine and wild boar samples is concerning due to the zoonotic risk and potential environmental contamination, as humans act as definitive hosts, also for the presence of S. hominis as a bovine contaminant in pork sausages. Furthermore, we confirmed the efficacy of the PCR-RFLP technique as a reliable tool for the identification of Sarcocystis species, demonstrating its potential use in laboratories for molecular diagnosis and rapid identification of these parasites, aiming to protect public health and ensure food safety.
肌肉孢子虫属（Sarcocystis）是一类形成包囊的原生动物寄生虫，存在于多种动物的器官和肌肉组织中。肉孢子虫目（Sarcocystidae）的米氏肉孢子虫（Sarcocystis miescheriana）和同源肉孢子虫（Sarcocystis suihominis）是猪和野猪（Sus scrofa）的病原体，作为中间宿主，而人类是同源肉孢子虫的终末宿主。截至目前，巴西尚未有关于猪中这些球虫种类的鉴定报告。因此，在本研究中，我们首次采用 PCR-RFLP 和测序法对肌肉孢子虫属的种类进行了分子鉴定。共分析了 210 个样本，其中 67 个样本对肌肉孢子虫属呈阳性，占总样本数的 31.9%。在总阳性样本中，55 个（82.1%）被鉴定为米氏肉孢子虫，8 个（11.9%）为同源肉孢子虫，这是一种人畜共患病原。此外，在 3.0%的样本中还检测到了与牛相关的其他种，如克氏肉孢子虫和人畜共患的同源人肉孢子虫，它们是猪肉产品的污染物。猪和野猪样本中同源肉孢子虫的存在令人担忧，因为它具有人畜共患的风险和潜在的环境污染，而人类是同源肉孢子虫的终末宿主，同源人肉孢子虫作为牛的污染物存在于猪肉香肠中也是如此。此外，我们证实了 PCR-RFLP 技术作为鉴定肌肉孢子虫属种的可靠工具的有效性，表明其在实验室中具有用于分子诊断和快速鉴定这些寄生虫的潜力，旨在保护公众健康和确保食品安全。
