The Occurrence and Meta-Analysis of Investigations on <i>Sarcocystis</i> Infection among Ruminants (Ruminantia) in Mainland China.

Abstract

<i>Sarcocystis</i> is a zoonotic pathogen that threatens public health and the quality of food safety. To determine the <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. prevalence in ruminants (Ruminantia) in China, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. Data were collected from English databases (PubMed and Web of Science) and Chinese databases (Chinese Web of knowledge (CNKI), Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals (VIP) and Wan Fang databases). A total of 20,301 ruminants from 54 publications were evaluated. The pooled prevalence of <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. among ruminants in mainland China was 65% (95% CI: 57-72%). Our results indicate that sarcocystosis is prevalent in ruminants, which show significant geographical differences. Therefore, it there is a need for continuous monitoring of infections of <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. in ruminants to reduce the threat to human health and economic losses to the animal industry.