Knapen F van ,
Franchimont JH ,
Kremers AFT ,
Narucka U
17 p
in Dutch
1992
Toon Nederlands
English Abstract In 1983 sera of 1000 Dutch fattening pigs and 1000 sows
were screened for the presence of antibodies against T. gondii using an
ELISA method. The seroprevalences were 30,9% and 1,8% for sows and
fattening pigs respectively. The low seroprevalence in fattening pigs is
generally contributed to modern pighusbandry involving strict hygienic
measures. The seroprevalence of 30,9% in sows however clearly demonstrates
the still existing risk of infection, showing the importance of management
and housing style in the establishment of low infection rates. The
seroprevalences found at the different slaughterhouses may very well reflect
differences in seroprevalence between the contributing farms. It is
therefore recommended to investigate the seroprevalence on separate farms,
both to be able to screen on critical measures concerning prevention as well
as to find out whether there are fattening farms. already (almost) free of
infection with T. gondii, which is according to most investigators well
within the possibilities of modern husbandry. International the attention
for T. gondii is increasing, as a result both of the growing health
awareness of the consumer as well as of the growing consensus that the
availability of uninfected meat is within reach of modern husbandry.
Serological survey is a relatively easy method to screen animals or farms
for various diseases, amongst which toxoplasmosis, and can be used as a
helpful instrument with regard to prevention or the establishment of certain
standards of quality.
