Bacterial and Parasitic Hazards and Consumption of Meat

Meat-producing animals can carry bacteria, parasites or viruses and zoonotic agents, which can contaminate meat consumers. Meat can also serve as a vector for pathogens of human origin that contaminate meat during meat processing or preparation operations. The genus Escherichia comprises five species, including Escherichia coli , which is a normal host of the digestive microflora of humans and warm-blooded animals. Taenia saginata is a cosmopolitan tapeworm or cestode whose evolutionary cycle is described as a heteroxene cycle with 2 hosts: a definitive host and an intermediate host. Thermotolerant campylobacters are the leading cause of bacterial enteritis in the world. Listeria monocytogenes have a very diverse ecological niche. Toxoplasmosis is a well-known disease affecting pregnant women, and contracting the disease for the first time during pregnancy can have dramatic consequences for the child.