Prof. Adnan Al-Hindi, Professor of Medical Parasitology, Department of Laboratory Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences at IUG, participated in the Annual Toxo-UK Meeting, 2021 at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom after receiving an invitation for contribution from the university.
Prof. Al-Hindi presented a research paper entitled: “Detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection in the most consumed red meat samples in Gaza – Palestine using ELISA and PCR Techniques”
The research aimed at uncovering the presence of a Toxoplasma gondii parasite in beef and lamb meat, which considered two of the most consumed red meat in Gaza-Palestine. This parasite is reported to be one of abortion causes among pregnant women.
in the research; 60 red meat samples were collected from butcher shops in Gaza City. The results revealed that the beef was free of Tokoplasma gondii parasite, when tested by both ELISA and PCR techniques. Conversely, the results documented the existence of Tokoplasma gondii in lamb using both techniques, yet the rate of recorded positive samples was divergent. A number of 14 (46.66%) out of 30 was recorded as positive samples when using ELISA technique, but only 5 (16.66%) positive samples were recorded using PCR technique.
The study concluded that the use of raw or poorly cooked lamb is a critical risk factor, as that aids in the transmission of Toloplasma gondii infection to humans.
The study recommended the need for periodic laboratory examination of red meat samples (beef and lambs) to ensure that they are not contaminated or incubating Toloplasma gondii parasite, as well as tracking the sources and origins of imported meat and livestock for possible sources of contamination.
The team who conducted this research consists of Mr. Zuhair Dardona, a PhD student at Cadi Ayyad University in Morocco who is supervised by Prof. Adnan Al-Hindi and Prof. Samia Boasa.