Toxoplasma gondii and related Sarcocystidae parasites in harvested caribou from Nunavik, Canada

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creativework.keywords - en
Caribou--Parasites
Rangifer--Parasites
Toxoplasma gondii
Toxoplasma gondii
Trichinella
Trichinellosis and other foodborne zoonotic pathogens
creativework.keywords - fr
Sarcocystis
Sarcocystis
Rangifer--Écologie
Caribou--Ecology
Trichinella
Trichinellose et autres pathogènes zoonotiques d'origine alimentaire
dc.contributor.author
Hernández-Ortiz, Adrián
Bouchard, Émilie
Snyman, Louwrens P.
Al-Adhami, Batol H.
Gouin, Géraldine-G.
Neelin, Mikhaela
Jenkins, Emily J.
dc.date.accepted
2023-06-22
dc.date.accessioned
2024-08-12T15:48:44Z
dc.date.available
2024-08-12T15:48:44Z
dc.date.issued
2023-06-26
dc.date.submitted
2023-05-03
dc.description.abstract - en
Caribou are keystone species important for human harvest and of conservation concern; even so, much is unknown about the impact of parasites on caribou health and ecology. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence, tissue prevalence, and diversity of tissue-dwelling coccidian parasites (including Toxoplasma gondii, Neospora caninum and Sarcocystis spp.) in 88 migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus) harvested for human consumption in two communities in Nunavik, Québec, Canada. Both T. gondii and N. caninum have potential to cause abortions and neurological disease in caribou. Seroprevalence for antibodies to T. gondii using ELISA on fluid from thawed hearts was 18% overall, and no DNA of T. gondii was detected in tissues, which has positive implications for food safety since this parasite is zoonotic. Seroprevalence for antibodies to N. caninum using competitive ELISA was 5%, and DNA of N. caninum was detected in only one heart sample. DNA of Sarcocystis, a non-zoonotic, related coccidian, was detected in tissue samples from 85% of caribou, with higher prevalence in heart (82%) than skeletal muscle (47%). This is the first time that Sarcocystis spp. from caribou in Canada have been identified to species level, many of which have been described in reindeer from Fennoscandia. The high prevalence and diversity of Sarcocystis spp. suggests intact trophic relationships between canids and caribou in Nunavik. Besnoitia spp. was serendipitously detected in three muscle samples, a parasite previously associated with skin lesions in caribou in Nunavik. Community-level differences in T. gondii exposure and prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in skeletal muscle tissues may reflect differences in hunter selection of individual animals and muscles, or possibly regional differences in the ecology of carnivore definitive hosts for these parasites. Further work is needed to explore effects of tissue coccidians in caribou, their taxonomic classifications, and community level differences in parasite prevalence and diversity.
dc.identifier.citation
Hernández-Ortiz, A., Bouchard, É., Snyman, L. P., Al-Adhami, B. H., Gouin, G.-G., Neelin, M., & Jenkins, E. J. (2023). Toxoplasma gondii and related Sarcocystidae parasites in harvested caribou from Nunavik, Canada. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 21, 246-254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.06.008
dc.identifier.doi
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.06.008
dc.identifier.issn
2213-2244
dc.identifier.uri
https://open-science.canada.ca/handle/123456789/2829
dc.language.iso
en
dc.publisher
Australian Society for Parasitology
dc.rights - en
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
dc.rights - fr
Creative Commons Attribution - Pas d'utilisation commerciale - Pas de modification 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
dc.rights.openaccesslevel - en
Gold
dc.rights.openaccesslevel - fr
Or
dc.rights.uri - en
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
dc.rights.uri - fr
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.fr
dc.subject - en
Nature and environment
Health and safety
dc.subject - fr
Nature et environnement
Santé et sécurité
dc.subject.en - en
Nature and environment
Health and safety
dc.subject.fr - fr
Nature et environnement
Santé et sécurité
dc.title - en
Toxoplasma gondii and related Sarcocystidae parasites in harvested caribou from Nunavik, Canada
dc.type - en
Article
dc.type - fr
Article
local.article.journaltitle
International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife
local.article.journalvolume
21
local.pagination
246-264
local.peerreview - en
Yes
local.peerreview - fr
Oui
local.requestdoi
No
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