Molecular Detection and Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii in Pigs for Human Consumption in Hunan Province, China

Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most important sources of foodborne diseases. In this study, the molecular prevalence and genotypes of T. gondii were investigated in pigs in Hunan province, China. A total of 339 brain tissue samples of pigs were collected from April 2015 to December 2017 in Hunan province and were used to detect the T. gondii B1 gene. Of these, 34 (10%; 95% confidence interval: 8.7-12.6) samples were tested positive for the T. gondii B1 gene. Positive samples were genotyped at 10 genetic markers (SAG1, SAG2 [5 + 3 SAG2, alter. SAG2], SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico) using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technology. Moreover, one sample was identified as genotype ToxoDB#10 (Type I), and another sample was suspected to be unusual genotype ToxoDB#61 that has never been reported in China. This study showed that T. gondii is prevalent in pigs in Hunan province, posing a food safety threat to the public health in the investigated areas. Our result has implications for better understanding the genetic diversity of T. gondii infections in animals in China.