A potential infection source for humans: Frozen buffalo meat can harbour tissue cysts of Toxoplasma gondii

Buffaloes are considered resistant to toxoplasmosis. Tissue cysts of Toxoplasma gondii found rarely in skeletal muscles of buffaloes. However, in the present study, we found tissue cyst of T. gondii in frozen boneless buffalo meat illegally imported to Turkey. Spherical tissue cysts of T. gondii, 27-34 to 30-32 (mean 31 × 30) μm in diameter, were found in 3 out of 20 (15%) spontaneously thawed meat samples analyzed by light microscopy of percoll dilutions. All positive samples were also confirmed by observation of 97 bp gene products of T. gondii repetitive B1 gene by nested PCR. The tissue cysts however, were not found following a preservation of two days at −18 °C. Present study shows that frozen buffalo meat can be a potential new infection source for human toxoplasmosis.

► Buffaloes are considered resistant to toxoplasmosis and tissue cysts found rarely in skeletal muscles of buffaloes. ► Toxoplasmagondii tissue cysts are highly susceptible to freezing and lose their viability. ► We isolated and confirmed T. gondii tissue cysts from illegally imported frozen buffalo meat. ► Further studies are needed on tolerance of T. gondii tissue cyst in frozen buffalo meat to regard frozen buffalo meat as safe.