PCR test for detecting Taenia solium cysticercosis in pig carcasses.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was employed to detect Taenia solium DNA in muscle lesions for validation of the meat inspection results of slaughtered pigs. Two sets of oligonucleotide primers, one targeted against the large subunit rRNA gene (TBR primers) and the other targeted against cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (Cox1 primers) of T. solium were used in this study. On reactivity in PCR test, the TBR primers and the Cox1 primers yielded products of 286 and 984 bp, respectively, in cysticercosis positive cases. Both the sets of primers were found to be highly specific, since they did not yield any PCR product in negative controls. A total of 225 pig carcasses were screened for cysticercosis by meat inspection, out of which 25 carcasses with visible cysts (16 viable and 9 degenerated cysts) were also confirmed to be positive for cysticercosis in PCR test. However, out of the 35 carcasses with suspected lesions on meat inspection, only two were found to be positive for cysticercosis in PCR test. The detection limits for both the primer sets were analyzed. The TBR primer set could detect up to 10 pg of cysticercus DNA, whereas the Cox1 primer set could detect only up to 1 ng. It is evident from the study that PCR test is an efficient tool for validation of meat inspection results and also to rule out ambiguity in carcass judgment of suspected cases of porcine cysticercosis.

Incidence and pathological study of Explanatum explanatum (Creplin, 1847) Fukui, 1929 in goats in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Amphistomiasis, caused by species of Paramphistomatidae is an economically important disease in ruminants. Explanatum explanatum is a very common amphistome in bile ducts and gall bladder of cattle and buffaloes worldwide where as in goats, it is exclusively found in Asian countries. Screening of livers from 100 sheep and 154 goats during slaughter at local slaughter houses from October, 2014 to April, 2015 in Andhra Pradesh (India) revealed presence of amphistomes in main bile ducts and gall bladder in three goats (1.9%) and were not observed in livers of sheep. Grossly, the affected livers were congested and the bile ducts were firm, thickened and occluded with amphistomes along with light yellowish foul smelling fluid. There were no apparent changes in gall bladder. Amphistomes were identified as E. explanatum by the standard staining technique using borax caramine. Microscopically, sections of liver revealed areas of haemarrhage, necrosis and infiltration of mononuclear cells in the parenchyma and surrounding the bile ducts. The wall of bile ducts revealed connective tissue proliferation with a characteristic mucosal plug of bile duct drawn into the acetabulum. There was hyperplasia of bile duct epithelium along with marked proliferation of mucosal glands and mononuclear cell infiltration. This paper appears to be the first report of E. explanatum in goats from Andhra Pradesh, India.