Sarcocystis is one of the most important protozoa belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa, which is common among warm-blooded animals in all parts of the world, some of which are of zoonotic importance. Sarcocystis cruzi, S. bovifelis, and S. homini
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Sarcocystis is one of the most important protozoa belonging to the phylum Apicomplexa, which is common among warm-blooded animals in all parts of the world, some of which are of zoonotic importance. Sarcocystis cruzi, S. bovifelis, and S. hominis are recognized in cattle. Due to the high occurrence of Sarcocystis in cow carcasses slaughtered in Iran, this study was conducted to investigate the contamination of Sarcocystis in beef slaughtered in Urmia industrial slaughterhouse using PCR. Also, the efficiency of the PCR method was compared with macroscopic and digestive (microscopic) methods. For this, a total of 80 esophageal and tongue samples, obtained from 40 carcasses was assayed. The Sarcocystis DNA was extracted according to the instructions of the Qiagen kit and the 18sRNA gene fragment was used using specific primers. The DNA product was digested with restriction enzymes, and their fracture pattern was evaluated. Out of 40 carcasses, in macroscopic and microscopic methods 2.5% and 72.5% were found positive for Sarcocystis, respectively. Besides, 36 cows were reported positive in terms of PCR contamination, which is 90% of the total samples. The results showed that the efficiency of PCR in detecting Sarcocystis is higher than the other two methods (p < /em><0.05). Moreover, it was revealed that the tongue contamination in both male and female cattle carcass was higher (p < /em>< 0.05) than the level of esophageal contamination. It was concluded that for efficient detection of Sarcocystis in cattle carcass, PCR can be applied along with the conventional methods.
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