Current status of food-borne parasitic zoonoses in Mediterranean and African regions.

Epidemiological data on food-borne parasitic zoonoses of Mediterranean and African regions are fragmentary. Several studies indicate that toxoplasmosis frequently occurs in Africa, but the epidemiological patterns in these countries are far from being complete. Serological investigations have been carried out with different methods and the results are not always comparable. Food habits, presence or absence of domestic and/or synanthropic felines, and environmental characteristics (damp or dry areas) seem to influence the prevalence of infection in man from 15 to over 60%. There are few reports on Sarcocystis infection in man, while its presence in domestic and sylvatic animals is well evidenced. Cysticercosis infection in cattle is widespread in Africa with a prevalence ranging from 2 to 50% in relation to breeding and human habits. In European countries of the Mediterranean area the prevalence of infection is below 2%. Cysticercosis infection in swine has almost disappeared in the Mediterranean area, while it is still present in some African countries. Human paragonimiasis is present in Western Africa with a prevalence ranging from 2 to 31%. Heterophyasis in man is present in Egypt, Tunisia, and Middle East. Sylvatic trichinellosis is widespread in Mediterranean (Trichinella sp.3) and African (T. nelsoni, Trichinella T8) regions. Domestic trichinellosis (T. spiralis spiralis) is present in Spain, France, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Gambia, and Nigeria in domestic and/or sylvatic animals. In Africa human trichinellosis is rare, mostly from religious and food habits. Till now very few control projects against food-borne parasitic zoonoses have been developed in Africa.