Effect of Domestic Freezing on the Viability of Toxoplasma gondii in Raw and Dry-Cured Ham from Experimentally Infected Pigs.

Abstract: Toxoplasma gondii is the causative agent of the parasitic disease toxoplasmosis, which is an important foodborne zoonosis. Eating undercooked meat of infected animals has been considered the major transmission route of T. gondii to humans.

Toxoplasma gondii in raw and dry-cured ham: The influence of the curing process.

The aim of this work was to analyze Toxoplasma gondii in raw hams by mouse bioassay and to evaluate the effect of curing on the viability of the parasite to assess the risk of infection from eating dry-cured ham. After a serology study of 1200 pigs in Aragón (Spain), forty-one naturally infected pigs with different serological titers against T. gondii were selected.

Toxoplasma gondii: Pig seroprevalence, associated risk factors and viability in fresh pork meat.

This study was conducted on 161 fattening pig farms located in Aragón (Northeast Spain). Serum samples from 1200 pigs were tested for antibodies against T. gondii by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA).

Evaluation of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in honeys from different origins.

A survey of honey samples from different geographical and botanical origins, including some samples collected from a fire-affected area in Spain, was conducted to assess their content of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The levels of the determined toxic elements (Pb, Cd, As, and Sn) were low and were in the range of those reported by other studies. In our work the total amount of heavy metals and Pb was higher in dark honeys than in pale honeys.

Toxoplasma gondii in commercially available pork meat and cured ham: a contribution to risk assessment for consumers.

Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, whose transmission has usually been attributed to ingestion of undercooked or raw meat. Dry-cured ham is a high-quality meat product of increasing economic relevance, and epidemiological studies point to cured meat products as a risk factor for acquiring toxoplasmosis. With the aim of contributing to the risk assessment process, 50 samples of fresh pork meat and commercial cured ham were collected in the city of Zaragoza (northeastern Spain), and the presence of viable forms of T.