A review on the prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii, a food-borne zoonotic parasite, in camel milk in Iran

Toxoplasma gondii is a food-borne zoonotic protozoa with cosmopolitan distribution that infects humans, ruminants, and many warm-blooded animals. The main host of this parasite is cats and felids and its intermediate host is humans and other warm-blooded animals. Humans become infected by swallowing food contaminated with oocysts, tachyzoites, or cysts. Consumption of raw or low heated milk of infected animals is considered as a risk factor for human infection with Toxoplasmosis, which is one of the major public health problems in many countries, especially developing countries, due to the importance of these diseases in terms of health of human society, animal health, the high cost of treatment and control of these diseases, as well as the creation of barriers to international trade, are considered by international and national health organizations now. According to this, research and study on epidemiological aspects, reservoirs, ways of transmission, diagnosis and identification of infected people and animals and treatment seems to be essential. The purpose of this study was to review about the contamination rate of raw camel milk infected with Toxoplasma gondii in Iran. The results of this study showed that this zoonotic parasite is able to be transmitted through eating raw or low heated milk, and control methods such as boiling milk are suggested.

Keywords:

Toxoplasma gondii , Milk , Camel