Low prevalence of zoonotic food-borne parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., but high prevalence of a potential marine Sarcocystis spp., in Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested in the Canadian Arctic
Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) are traditional food sources for Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. In response to community concerns about zoonotic parasites (Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp.), the aim of this study was for harvesters, government, and researchers t...
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Canadian Science Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Arctic Science |
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| Online Access: | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0059 |
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| author | Adrián Hernández-Ortiz Rajnish Sharma Louwrens P. Snyman Lisa L. Loseto Shannon A. MacPhee Sonja K. Ostertag Émilie L. Couture Stéphane Lair Batol H. Al-Adhami Emily J. Jenkins |
| author_facet | Adrián Hernández-Ortiz Rajnish Sharma Louwrens P. Snyman Lisa L. Loseto Shannon A. MacPhee Sonja K. Ostertag Émilie L. Couture Stéphane Lair Batol H. Al-Adhami Emily J. Jenkins |
| author_sort | Adrián Hernández-Ortiz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) are traditional food sources for Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. In response to community concerns about zoonotic parasites (Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp.), the aim of this study was for harvesters, government, and researchers to jointly determine prevalence of selected parasites in belugas harvested from the Eastern Beaufort Sea population between 2014 and 2021. We used multiple molecular and serological assays to detect Toxoplasma gondii in the absence of gold standards. Antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii were detected in less than 1% (n = 1/120) of belugas using multiple commercial and in-house serological tests. Based on multiple molecular assays, Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected in 1% (n = 1/97) of belugas. Trichinella larvae were not detected in diaphragms (n = 42) or tongues (n = 108) by the internationally recognized pepsin/HCl artificial digestion method. Sarcocysts were observed on histology in 6/26 beluga examined in 2015–2016 and DNA of an unidentified species of Sarcocystis sp. was detected in skeletal muscle of 59% (n = 46/78) of belugas. Phylogenetic analyses indicate a close relationship between the Sarcocystis found in belugas and those from other marine mammals, suggestive of a marine life cycle requiring further investigation. Our findings reflect a low prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., and therefore low risk of human exposure to these parasites through the consumption of belugas from the Eastern Beaufort Sea. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-816df2cd8f584b67bd1b7ee2a32a4570 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2368-7460 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arctic Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-816df2cd8f584b67bd1b7ee2a32a45702025-08-20T02:12:41ZengCanadian Science PublishingArctic Science2368-74602025-01-011111510.1139/as-2024-0059Low prevalence of zoonotic food-borne parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., but high prevalence of a potential marine Sarcocystis spp., in Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested in the Canadian ArcticAdrián Hernández-Ortiz0Rajnish Sharma1Louwrens P. Snyman2Lisa L. Loseto3Shannon A. MacPhee4Sonja K. Ostertag5Émilie L. Couture6Stéphane Lair7Batol H. Al-Adhami8Emily J. Jenkins9Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, CanadaDepartment of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, CanadaDepartment of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, CanadaFreshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, CanadaFreshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, CanadaFreshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N6, CanadaCanadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 7C6, CanadaCanadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 7C6, CanadaCentre for Food-borne and Animal Parasitology, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2R3, CanadaDepartment of Veterinary Microbiology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, CanadaBeluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) are traditional food sources for Inuit communities in the Canadian Arctic. In response to community concerns about zoonotic parasites (Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp.), the aim of this study was for harvesters, government, and researchers to jointly determine prevalence of selected parasites in belugas harvested from the Eastern Beaufort Sea population between 2014 and 2021. We used multiple molecular and serological assays to detect Toxoplasma gondii in the absence of gold standards. Antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii were detected in less than 1% (n = 1/120) of belugas using multiple commercial and in-house serological tests. Based on multiple molecular assays, Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected in 1% (n = 1/97) of belugas. Trichinella larvae were not detected in diaphragms (n = 42) or tongues (n = 108) by the internationally recognized pepsin/HCl artificial digestion method. Sarcocysts were observed on histology in 6/26 beluga examined in 2015–2016 and DNA of an unidentified species of Sarcocystis sp. was detected in skeletal muscle of 59% (n = 46/78) of belugas. Phylogenetic analyses indicate a close relationship between the Sarcocystis found in belugas and those from other marine mammals, suggestive of a marine life cycle requiring further investigation. Our findings reflect a low prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., and therefore low risk of human exposure to these parasites through the consumption of belugas from the Eastern Beaufort Sea.https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0059ToxoplasmaSarcocystisTrichinellaBelugawhale |
| spellingShingle | Adrián Hernández-Ortiz Rajnish Sharma Louwrens P. Snyman Lisa L. Loseto Shannon A. MacPhee Sonja K. Ostertag Émilie L. Couture Stéphane Lair Batol H. Al-Adhami Emily J. Jenkins Low prevalence of zoonotic food-borne parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., but high prevalence of a potential marine Sarcocystis spp., in Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested in the Canadian Arctic Arctic Science Toxoplasma Sarcocystis Trichinella Beluga whale |
| title | Low prevalence of zoonotic food-borne parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., but high prevalence of a potential marine Sarcocystis spp., in Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested in the Canadian Arctic |
| title_full | Low prevalence of zoonotic food-borne parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., but high prevalence of a potential marine Sarcocystis spp., in Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested in the Canadian Arctic |
| title_fullStr | Low prevalence of zoonotic food-borne parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., but high prevalence of a potential marine Sarcocystis spp., in Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested in the Canadian Arctic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Low prevalence of zoonotic food-borne parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., but high prevalence of a potential marine Sarcocystis spp., in Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested in the Canadian Arctic |
| title_short | Low prevalence of zoonotic food-borne parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Trichinella spp., but high prevalence of a potential marine Sarcocystis spp., in Eastern Beaufort Sea beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) harvested in the Canadian Arctic |
| title_sort | low prevalence of zoonotic food borne parasites toxoplasma gondii and trichinella spp but high prevalence of a potential marine sarcocystis spp in eastern beaufort sea beluga whales delphinapterus leucas harvested in the canadian arctic |
| topic | Toxoplasma Sarcocystis Trichinella Beluga whale |
| url | https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/as-2024-0059 |
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