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Parassitologia 50: 17-24, 2008
Epidemiology and control prospects of foodborne parasitic
zoonoses in the European Union
E. Pozio
Community Reference Laboratory for Parasites, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy;
Introduction
Abstract. In the 27 Member States of the European Union, zoonotic parasites transmitted by food are circulating
with different prevalence according to the country, the environmental conditions, the human behaviour,
and the socio-economic level. Foodborne parasites can be divided in two main groups according to
the way of transmission to humans. These foodborne parasites reach the human beings through the consumption
of raw infected food such as muscle tissues of different animal species (Toxoplasma gondii,
Sarcocystis hominis, Sarcocystis suishominis, Diphyllobotrium latum, Taenia solium, Taenia saginata,
Opisthorchis felineus, Anisakis spp., Pseudoterranova spp., Trichinella spp.), or vegetables (Fasciola hepatica),
and contaminated food and water resources (Giardia duodenalis, Cryptosporidium spp., T. gondii,
Echinococcus granulosus sensu latu, Echinococcus multilocularis, T. solium, Taenia multiceps). As a general
role, the control strategies should be based on the education of the consumers, farmers and shepherds,
the improvement of farming conditions, the improvement or the development of more sensitive methods
to detect these parasites in slaughtered animals and in foodstuff, a control of sewage sludge on pastures
and of drinking water resources, and the reduction of contacts between livestock and wild animals
which frequently represent the most important reservoir of these pathogens.
Keywords: Foodborne parasites; zoonoses; European Union; epidemiology; control.
In the European Union, the Health and Consumer
Protection Directorate General (DG SANCO) of the
European Commission and the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) have made special efforts (including
the designation of economic resources) to improve the
microbiological and chemical quality of food in the
European Union (European Community regulations EC
178/2002, 852/2004, 853/2004, 854/2004, 882/2004,
and 2075/2005). To this end, the DG SANCO has created
a network of National Reference Laboratories
(NRL), co-ordinated by Community Reference
Laboratories (CRL), responsible for establishing EUwide
standards for testing, routine procedures and reliable
testing methods. On this purpose, 40 European
laboratories have been appointed as CRLs (12 for biological
risks, 13 for animal health, 13 for chemical
risks, 1 for GMOs, and 1 for feed additives). In 2006,
the Division of Gastroenteric and Tissue Parasitic
Diseases of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità has been
designated as the CRL for foodborne parasites
(European Community EC 776/2006). The coordination
of NRLs for parasites has allowed to acquire information
on what is known on the epidemiology of the
most important foodborne parasitic zoonoses and to
know the control prospects in the Member States.
Correspondence: Edoardo Pozio,
Community Reference Laboratory for Parasites, Istituto
Superiore di Sanità, viale Regina Elena 299,
00161 Rome, Italy
Tel +39 06 49902304; Fax +39 06 49903561,
e-mail: edoardo.pozio@iss.it
In the 27 Member States, there is a wide panel of foodborne
parasitic zoonoses circulating between animals
and humans, yet the attention spent greatly varies by
individual country, depending on the impact on animal
husbandry, human health and related risk perception,
and to available economical resources. Herein, the epidemiology
of foodborne parasites in Europe is
described, followed by general indications for the control
of these parasites.
Epidemiology of foodborne parasites
Giardia duodenalis
Although the zoonotic transmission of G. duodenalis
has been described (Traub et al., 2004; Savioli et al.,
2006), its role as a zoonotic agent is still under debate
(Cacciò et al., in press). Furthermore, there has been
relatively little interest in this pathogen because the
economic loss in terms of livestock seems to be limited.
Cryptosporidium spp.
The amount of information available in Europe on
Cryptosporidium parasites in humans and animals
greatly varies by specific country. Regarding human
cryptosporidiosis, in Denmark and other Nordic countries,
the annual incidence is estimated to be 3,340
symptomatic cases per 100,000 population (Hörman et
al., 2004). In France, among HIV-infected persons, the
annual incidence of cryptosporidiosis has been reduced
to 12 per 10,000 population since the introduction of
highly active retroviral therapy (HAART). Among children
with diarrhoea in France, the prevalence ranges
from 2.1% to 5.0% (Lacroix et al., 1987; Bretagne et
al., 1990). In Germany, among children aged 1-14
years, a prevalence of nearly 2.0% has been reported