PERSISTENCE OF ENCYSTED TOXOPLASMA-GONDII IN TISSUES OF PIGS FED OOCYSTS

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 45  (10) , 1941-1943
Abstract
Ten pigs were fed 100-10,000 T. gondii oocysts. Two pigs died 7 and 11 days later, and 8 pigs were euthanatized at days 38, 38, 91, 126, 168, 169, 170 and 171. From the euthanatized pigs, portions of 15 organs digested in pepsin-HCl solution were inoculated into mice, as a bioassay for viable T. gondii. Such organisms were isolated from the brain and heart of these 8 pigs, from the tongue of 7, from thigh muscles of 5, from the diaphragm of 4, from kidneys, liver and small intestines of 2, and from salivary glands and eyes of 1 pig; but not from lungs, spleen, spinal cord, mesenteric and prescapular lymph nodes of any pig. Results indicate that T. gondii can persist in edible tissues of living pigs for at least 171 days, and that heart and brain may be the most suitable porcine tissues for epizootiologic surveys.

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