Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #380576
Research Project: Zoonotic Parasites Affecting Food Animals, Food Safety, and Public Health

Location: Environmental Microbial & Food Safety Laboratory

Title: Why foodborne and waterborne parasites are important for veterinarians

Author
item ALMERIA, SONIA - Food And Drug Administration(FDA)
item ROBERTSON, LUCY - Norwegian University Of Life Sciences
item Santin-Duran, Monica

Submitted to: Research in Veterinary Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/26/2021
Publication Date: 3/2/2021
Citation: Almeria, S., Robertson, L., Santin, M. 2021. Why foodborne and waterborne parasites are important for veterinarians. Research in Veterinary Science. 11(3):700. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2021.02.020.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rvsc.2021.02.020

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Parasites are a major public health concern frequently associated with consumption of contaminated water and food (foodborne and waterborne parasites). Several parasites have been found on ready-to-eat produce, indicating that sanitation processes currently used in ready to eat produce do not guarantee a product free of parasites of fecal origin. Parasitic forms show usually high resistance to temperatures and disinfectants and parasites have low infective doses, and therefore, constitute a major risk for consumers. Among important foodborne and waterborne parasites of Veterinary and Medical importance FAO/WHO released in 2014 the ranking for the top ten foodborne parasites. From an initial list of 93 parasites, the list was then narrowed to the 24 most important parasites, and the top 10 were: Taenia solium, Echinoccoccus granulosus, E. multilocularis, Toxoplasma gondii Cryptosporidium spp., Entamoeba histolytica Trichinella spiralis, Opisthorchiidae, Ascaris and Trypanosoma cruzi. FAO/WHO advised that this type of prioritization needed to be repeated at regional levels. Based on that suggestion, a European list of prioritization was published in 2018 with additional parasites such as Angiostrongylus cantonensis. All these parasites have complex cycles and multiple hosts and include parasites of both veterinary and medical importance. A One Health focus is needed for the control and prevention of these infections. Many detection methods for parasites in food and water still lack sensitivity and specificity, while other methods require highly trained personnel and equipment found only in specialized laboratories. Furthermore, because most of these organisms cannot be cultured in vitro, optimum recovery from foodstuff and water is essential for parasite detection. This special issue will provide up to date information on the main Foodborne and Waterborne Zoonotic Parasites of Veterinary and Medical Importance, including epidemiology, diagnosis and control.