Food-borne parasites

Andrew S. Peregrine, BVMS, PhD, DVM, DipEVPC

Department of Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College Telephone ext. 54714 E-mail: aperegri@ovc.uoguelph.ca

1. Zoonotic tapeworms
Taenia saginata Taenia solium Diphyllobothrium latum

2. Zoonotic nematode
Trichinella spiralis

Cestodes tapeworms
Morphology of adult parasite: scolex:

- suckers ? - rostellum - armed/ unarmed ? short, unsegmented neck chain of segments = strobila

Cestodes tapeworms
Morphology of adult parasite:

scolex: - suckers ? - rostellum - armed/ unarmed ? short, unsegmented neck chain of segments = strobila

General life cycle:

Tapeworms
Definitive host

Intermediate host

Tapeworms
General life cycle (1): indirect - usually one intermediate host adult parasite usually in small intestine gravid segments/eggs in feces intermediate host ingests egg hexacanth embryo blood, lymph etc at predilection site infective larva

Tapeworms

Tapeworms

Tapeworms

Tapeworms

Tapeworms
General life cycle (2):

definitive host infected by ingestion of larva in tissue scolex attaches to intestinal wall and matures to adult tapeworm

Zoonotic tapeworms - Principles

1. People = definitive host:
usually host specific people usually eat intermediate host pathogenic ?

2. People = intermediate host:

people usually eat eggs passed in feces pathogenic ?

Zoonotic tapeworms
Definitive host

People

Intermediate host

Taenia saginata Taenia solium Diphyllobothrium sp.

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Beef tapeworm
Taenia saginata - people Cysticercus bovis - cattle

Taenia saginata (adult tapeworm)

found only in people lives in small intestine 3-15 meters in length 1,0001,000-2,000 segments up to 12 segments shed daily infected person sheds 1,000,000 eggs/day life span - can be as long as person

Taenia saginata (adult tapeworm)

Taenia saginata (adult tapeworm)

Taenia saginata (adult tapeworm)

Taenia saginata (adult tapeworm)

Taenia saginata (beef tapeworm)

- predilection sites heart tongue diaphragm masseter muscles intercostal muscles

Cysticercus bovis

Cysticercus bovis in USA cattle

T. saginata - Control
Recognise that:

1. People infected by ingestion of parasite cysts in cattle meat. 2. Cattle infected by ingestion of eggs in feed/water contaminated with human feces. feces. 3. Treatment will not eliminate infections in cattle.

T. saginata - Control
1. Compulsory meat inspection 2. Thoroughly cook meat 3. Prevent contamination of cattle feed/water with human feces

C. bovis - monitoring
Routine postpost-mortem inspection of cattle for parasite cysts:
incision/observation - heart - masseter muscles observation/palpation - tongue - diaphragm

T. saginata - breaking the cycle

Sources of infection Reports application of sewage sludge to fields 3 leakage of raw sewage on to fields 2 water contaminated with sewage effluent 1 fecal contamination of feed/water by farm 8 employees dispersal of eggs by birds 1

T. saginata - breaking the cycle

1. Educate employees about mode of transmission and importance of personal hygiene. 2. Provide adequate and convenient toilet facilities. 3. Examine employees prior to employment and periodically thereafter.

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T. saginata - breaking the cycle

4. Exclude unauthorised personnel from premises. 5. Maintain animal source and destination records. 6. Periodic assay of water supply. 7. Use of sewage on land ?

Infectivity of Taenia saginata eggs

temperatures < -4oC water liquid manure pasture cattle barn = ~16 days = ~33 days = ~71 days = 55-7 months = 18 months

Pork tapeworm
Taenia solium - people Cysticercus cellulosae - pigs

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(adult tapeworm)
found only in people lives in small intestine 2-4 meters long 800800-1,000 segments most common in Latin America, Africa, India, parts of Far East

Taenia solium

T. solium - Life cycle

1. As for T. saginata:
adult tapeworm in people eggs / segments

Cysticercus cellulosae in pigs

ingestion adultT. solium in people

T. solium - Life cycle

1. As for T. saginata:
adult tapeworm in people eggs / segments

Cysticercus cellulosae in pigs

ingestion adultT. solium in people

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T. solium - Life cycle

1. As for T. saginata:
adult tapeworm in people eggs / segments

Cysticercus cellulosae in pigs

ingestion adultT. solium in people

T. solium - Life cycle

2. In addition: addition:
(a) ingestion of T. solium eggs (b) autoinfection

cysticerci in people human cysticercosis

neurocysticercosis

Pathogenesis/Clinical signs
usually inapparent in people with adult tapeworm usually inapparent in pigs with cysticerci cysticerci in people ?

in CNS epilepsy, seizures, blackouts, vertigo in eye loss of vision

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T. solium - Epidemiology
access of pigs to human feces poor meat inspection inadequate cooking of pork foodstuffs contaminated with human feces

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T. solium - Control
meat inspection exclude contact of pigs with human feces thorough cooking of pork deep freezing procedures proper standards of personal hygiene

Diphyllobothrium latum
Human broad tapeworm Fish tapeworm

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Diphyllobothrium latum
found in people and various animals lives in small intestine largest tapeworm in people 3,000+ segments occurs globally, especially Baltic countries/Asia + Canada

Diphyllobothrium latum
Definitive host
Adult tapeworm in canids, felids and people Eggs in feces
coracidium

2nd Intermediate host

procercoid plerocercoid

Fish

1st Intermediate host

coracidium procercoid

Copepod

Diphyllobothrium latum
Definitive host
Adult tapeworm in canids, felids and people Eggs in feces
coracidium

2nd Intermediate host

procercoid plerocercoid

Fish

1st Intermediate host

coracidium procercoid

Copepod

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Diphyllobothrium latum
Definitive host
Adult tapeworm in canids, felids and people Eggs in feces
coracidium

2nd Intermediate host

procercoid plerocercoid

Fish

1st Intermediate host

coracidium procercoid

Copepod

Disease ?

adult tapeworm vitamin B12 deficiency ?

Epidemiology:

generally a parasite of people:

ingestion of uncooked fish

human sewage freshwater lakes animals infected by eating raw fish or fish offal:
dogs, cats, pigs foxes, polar bears

Diphyllobothrium latum
Control:
sewage disposal adequate cooking of fish deep freezing of fish education of public treatment of infected individuals role of wild animals ?

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Trichinella spiralis

I say we do it . and trichinosis be damned

Trichinella spiralis
Disease = trichinosis/trichinellosis Infection ingestion of parasitised muscle cell predation, cannibalism, carrion feeding Wide host range: pigs, wild pigs, rodents, polar bears, seals, bears, wolves, foxes, people

T. spiralis - Life cycle

L1 in skeletal muscle cells ingestion L1 released in small intestine adult + mate (~ 2 days) female invades mucosa L1 skeletal muscle cells (nurse cells)

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T. spiralis - Life cycle

L1 in skeletal muscle cells ingestion L1 released in small intestine adult + mate (~ 2 days) female invades mucosa L1 skeletal muscle cells (nurse cells)

T. spiralis - Life cycle

L1 in skeletal muscle cells ingestion L1 released in small intestine adult + mate (~ 2 days) female invades mucosa L1 skeletal muscle cells (nurse cells)

T. spiralis - Life cycle

L1 in skeletal muscle cells ingestion L1 released in small intestine adult + mate (~ 2 days) female invades mucosa L1 skeletal muscle cells (nurse cells)

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T. spiralis - Characteristics
Larvae in muscle cells:
may remain infective for years very resistant, including putrefaction

Adults (small intestine):

1.0 3.0 mm very short lived

T. spiralis
Maintained in pigs by:
feeding pigs flesh of infected pigs tail biting rats in piggeries probably <0.01% infected

T. spiralis
Pathogenesis/Clinical signs in pigs:
light infections = asymptomatic large #s larvae enteritis acute myositis, pyrexia

fatal dose = ~ 10 larvae/g body weight

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Human trichinosis
raw/undercooked pork, bear, seal or biproducts - smoking, drying, curing ? - horse meat (Europe) thermal death point ~ 59oC for 10 min - microwave ? larvae in pork killed @ -20oC for 3 days larvae in bears withstand -20oC for 6 months

Human trichinosis

most cases = asymptomatic

Abdominal syndrome - early (several days): - abdominal pain - diarrhea - nausea General syndrome - later (weeks, months): - fever, chills - edema around eyes - myalgia, laboured breathing Fatal dose ~ 5 larvae/g body weight

Human trichinosis
Diagnosis:
- clinical signs - larvae in muscle biopsy - history of eating raw/undercooked meat - eosinophilia - rise in antibody titre - anthelmintic + antianti-inflammatories

Treatment:

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Ethnic groups at risk

Traditionally: Germans, Polish Recently: southsouth-east Asian refugees, especially Laotians + Cambodians Northerners: Inuit - bear meat, walrus meat

Control of trichinosis
meat inspection: - microscopic examination of diaphragm muscle + antibodyantibody-ELISA persuade public to cook fresh pork/pork products !! cook/freeze ready to eat products for specified times waste food must be boiled before fed to pigs eliminate rats/wildlife from piggeries

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