Hazard of animal meat containing parasites: analysis of a new parasite-toxic food poisoning

动物肉通常被用作鸡肉和加工食品，但包括日本在内的一些国家有吃生动物肉的饮食习惯。“巴什”是生马肉片，和生鱼片一样，被认为是食物中毒的原因之一。在患者食用的马肉中发现了一种寄生虫，名为肉孢子虫。纯化了一种蛋白质，并测定了其肠毒素活性。测定了该毒素蛋白的氨基酸内部序列，并根据该氨基酸序列设计了简并引物，用聚合酶链式反应方法克隆了该毒株的毒素基因。该蛋白与弓形虫等的肌动蛋白解聚因子具有同源性。进食含有肉孢子虫的生鹿肉亦引致食物中毒。基于这些事实，寄生虫毒素食物中毒被提出为一种新的食源性疾病类别。

Animal meat is generally served as a cocked and processed food, but some countries including Japan have a food habit to eat raw animal meat. "Basashi" is slices of raw horse meat, like sashimi and has been recognized as one of causes for food poisoning. A parasite, Sarcocystis fayeri, wad found in the horse meat that was eaten by patients. A protein was purified and determined its enterotoxic activity. An internal sequence of amino acid of the toxic protein was determined and toxin gene was cloned by the PCR method using degenerate primers designed from the amino acid sequence. The protein has a homology to an actin depolymerizing factor of Toxoplasma and others. Consumption of raw deer meat containing Sarcocystis parasite also caused food poisoning. Based on these facts, a parasite-toxin food poisoning has been proposed as a new category of foodborne diseases.