Quantitative risk assessment for human Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis exposure through consumption of pork in Mpwapwa District of Dodoma Region, Tanzania

Vet World Vol.16 May-2023 Article-2

Research Article

Veterinary World, 16(5): 895-911

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2023.895-911

Misheck A. Mulilo¹, Kabemba E. Mwape², Ethel M’kandawire³, and Ernatus M. Mkupasi⁴

1. Livestock Training Agency, Department of Training, Research and Consultancy, Mpwapwa, Dodoma, Tanzania.
2. Department of Clinical Studies, The University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia.
3. Department of Disease Control, The University of Zambia, School of Veterinary Medicine, Lusaka, Zambia.
4. Department of Veterinary Medicine and Public Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Morogoro, Tanzania.

Background and Aim: Pig farming is a livelihood activity undertaken by many rural communities in Tanzania. However, pigs in rural communities become infected with Taenia solium, a zoonotic parasite leading to porcine cysticercosis (PCC). Thus, routine meat inspection is fundamental in ensuring that the meat consumed is PCC-free. However, routine meat inspection is constrained by low sensitivity as a diagnostic test. Regardless of its low sensitivity, at the local level, no substitute tool would potentially lead to meat being risk-free for human infection. This study aimed at quantifying the risk of humans getting exposed to T. solium taeniasis through the consumption of pork approved safe for human consumption by employing a quantitative risk assessment (QRA) model.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study employing a quantitative risk assessment technique was conducted to quantify the risk of human infection in Mpwapwa District through exposure to T. solium infection through consumption of officially inspected pork. The input parameters in this study were simulated in @risk software to obtain the risk of exposure and the risk factors for exposure to T. solium taeniasis.

Results: The risk of one getting exposed to T. solium taeniasis/cysticercosis (TSTC) through consumption of pork approved for human consumption was found to be 0.018 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.00–0.0250). Likewise, the probability that a cyst is localized in a pork portion was found to be the most influencing input risk factor of getting exposed to TSTC. Furthermore, the probability of developing T. solium taeniasis was estimated to be 0.73605 (95% CI = 0–0.950) when infected undercooked pork portion is consumed and 0.99652 (95% CI = 0.98161–0.99908) from consuming raw pork portion. Likewise, about 47 (95% CI = 42–52) people who consumed undercooked pork and 26 (95% CI = 22–30) who consumed raw pork would get infected in Mpwapwa District per year.

Conclusion: The results from this study are anticipated to create public awareness of the problem and promote the use of one-health approach in the control and prevention of the consumption of infected pork. Keywords: cysticercosis, Mpwapwa, pork meal, quantitative risk assessment, Taenia solium, taeniasis.

Keywords: cysticercosis, Mpwapwa, pork meal, quantitative risk assessment, Taenia solium, taeniasis.

How to cite this article: Mulilo MA, Mwape KE, M’kandawire E, and Mkupasi EM (2023) Quantitative risk assessment for human Taenia solium taeniasis/cysticercosis exposure through consumption of pork in Mpwapwa District of Dodoma Region, Tanzania, Veterinary World, 16(5): 895-911.

Received: 13-12-2022 Accepted: 15-03-2023 Published online: 07-05-2023

Corresponding author: E-mail: mulilomeshack@gmail.com

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.895-911

Copyright: Mulilo, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.