Molecular detection and viability assessment of Toxoplasma gondii in retail dry-cured meat products in the Republic of Korea.

چکیده اصلی

Toxoplasma gondii remains a major global foodborne pathogen, and consumption of undercooked meat is a primary route of human infection. Dry-cured meat products are typically processed by salting and curing without thermal treatment, which may allow infectious tissue cysts to persist. In this study, we evaluated the detection rate and viability of T. gondii in 451 commercial dry-cured meat product samples purchased from retail markets in the Republic of Korea. Using artificial digestion followed by PCR-based molecular screening with qPCR, we detected T. gondii DNA in 28 samples (6.2%). Observed positivity rates varied across countries of origin, with the highest rate among products with a single reported country of origin found in products from the U.S.A. (17.3%, 4/23). To assess infectivity, PCR-positive samples were evaluated using a mouse bioassay in BALB/c mice. No clinical signs, brain tissue cysts, or parasite DNA were detected in mice inoculated with any of the PCR-positive samples, indicating the absence of detectable viable parasites. These findings suggest that while T. gondii DNA may persist in retail products, commercially cured products in the Korean market are unlikely to contain viable parasites and may therefore pose a low risk of transmission to consumers.

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