Foodborne and neglected parasitic zoonoses in Ethiopian red meat animals: insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: The most prevalent yet neglected cestode meat-borne parasitic zoonoses are bovine cysticercosis and cystic echinococcosis, while the most common meat-borne protozoan zoonoses are toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, bovine cysticercosis, cystic echinococcosis, toxoplasmosis, and cryptosporidiosis are the most common but neglected meat-borne parasites. The main transmission route is through contaminated meat products. The aim of this review was to provide an overall prevalence estimation of major food-borne zoonotic parasitic in ruminants in Ethiopia.

Methods: The present meta-analysis was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Articles were searched in PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and HINARI. A total of 104 eligible articles were included in the final meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were conducted using random effect model, and heterogeneity was assessed using I² statistics.

Results: Toxoplasmosis had the highest pooled prevalence (38, 95% CI: 30-46%), followed by cystic echinococcosis (25, 95% CI: 18-32%), cryptosporidiosis (14, 95% CI: 9-19%), and bovine cysticercosis (9, 95% CI: 5-13%). In most individual analyses, Egger's regression test did not reveal significant publication bias, since the p-values were greater than 0.05. Regional subanalysis showed that bovine cysticercosis was most prevalent in the Amhara region (16, 95% CI: 6-13%), whereas cystic echinococcosis was highest in Oromia (33, 95% CI: 22-45%) and Tigray (29, 95% CI: 24-33%). Host-wise analysis indicated that toxoplasmosis was most prevalent in sheep (41%), followed by goats (39%), and cattle (28%). Cryptosporidiosis was most commonly detected in cattle (16%), sheep (11%), and goat (8%). Age-based analysis revealed a higher prevalence in calves and lambs with an estimated pooled prevalence of 15% (I ² = 83%).

Conclusion: The increasing prevalence of meat-borne parasitic zoonoses in Ethiopia highlights the need for urgent intervention. Strengthening disease surveillance, enforcing strict meat inspection protocols, and raising public awareness about zoonotic risks are critical for effective control. A coordinated approach between veterinary professionals, public health authorities, and policymakers is essential to mitigate the burden of these neglected parasitic infections and protect both animal and human health.

Keywords: Ethiopia; foodborne; parasite; pooled prevalence; zoonosis.

Figure 1

Flow chart of selected studies on foodborne parasitic zoonotic diseases of animal origin.

Figure 2

Random forest plots with overall prevalence for toxoplasmosis in ruminants.

Figure 3

Galbraith plot showing the heterogeneity of the prevalence of toxoplasmosis.

Figure 4

Funnel plots of the standard error by log odds of the prevalence of toxoplasmosis.

Figure 5

Diagnosis of potential outliers from the included studies.

Figure 6

Random forest plots with overall prevalence of cryptosporidiosis in animals.

Figure 7

Funnel plots of the standard error by log odds of the prevalence of cryptosporidiosis.

Figure 8

Random forest plots showing the overall prevalence of bovine cysticercosis in animals.

Figure 9

Funnel plot of standard errors by logit of the prevalence of bovine cysticercosis.

Figure 10

Random forest plots showing the overall prevalence of cystic echinocococcosis in domestic food ruminants.

Figure 11

Funnel plot of standard error by log odds of prevalence estimates of cystic echinococcosis.

Figure 12

Prevalence of toxoplasmosis among different species of animals.

Figure 13

Subgroup analysis of the distribution of toxoplasmosis based on the study region.

Figure 14

Subanalysis of the pooled prevalence of toxoplasmosis by method of diagnosis.

Figure 15

Forest plots of subgroup analysis of cryptosporidiosis by publication year. 1 = 2004–2016, 2 = 2017–2019, 3 = 2020–2023.

Figure 16

Subgroup analysis of cryptosporidiosis by animal species.

Figure 17

Subgroup analysis by age category to examine cryptosporidiosis in foods of animal origin.

Figure 18

Pooled prevalence of C. bovis and cystic echinococcosis in the lungs.

Figure 19

Pooled prevalence of bovine cysticercosis and cystic echinococcosis in the heart.

Figure 20

Pooled prevalence of bovine cysticercosis and cystic echinococcosis in the liver.