Authors: Marques Caroline, da Silva Bruno, Nogueira Yuri, Bezerra Taynar, Tavares Aline, Borges-Silva Waléria, Gondim Luís
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: *Sarcocystis bertrami* in Brazilian Slaughter Horses Sarcocystis bertrami, a protozoan parasite with dogs as definitive hosts, poses potential food safety and animal health concerns in equine populations, yet its prevalence in South American horses had never been formally documented. Researchers examined muscle tissue from 51 horses at a Bahian abattoir across three seasonal periods, employing macroscopic and microscopic analysis alongside transmission electron microscopy and PCR amplification of the cox1 mitochondrial gene for species confirmation. All examined animals (100%) harboured Sarcocystis sp., with histological sections revealing variably-sized sarcocysts with characteristic wavy, electrodense walls and digitiform, bent villar protrusions—morphological features definitively identifying the parasite as *S. bertrami*. This represents the first confirmed molecular and morphological evidence of *S. bertrami* infection in Brazilian horses and establishes baseline prevalence data for the continent. For equine practitioners, these findings highlight the widespread nature of this zoonotic infection in at-risk populations and underscore the importance of considering Sarcocystis spp. in food safety protocols and epidemiological surveillance programmes, particularly where horses enter the human food chain and canine populations have access to raw or undercooked equine muscle tissue.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •S. bertrami is highly prevalent in Brazilian horses destined for human consumption, indicating widespread exposure and potential food safety considerations
- •Dogs represent a definitive host for this parasite; management of dog exposure to infected horse tissues may help reduce transmission cycles
- •Awareness of endemic sarcocystosis in horses from affected regions is important for accurate diagnosis and understanding parasite epidemiology in equine populations
Key Findings
- •Sarcocystis sp. was detected in 100% of examined horses (51/51) at slaughter in Brazil
- •Molecular PCR and TEM analysis confirmed S. bertrami species identification with characteristic wavy sarcocyst walls and digitiform villar protrusions
- •This represents the first morphological and molecular confirmation of S. bertrami infection in horses in Brazil and South America