مشخصات پژوهش

Introduction: Sarcocystis, a type of intracellular apicomplexan protozoan parasite. Human infection can be attributed to the consumption of raw or inadequately cooked meat that contains encapsulated parasites like as Hamburgers. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between April 2022 and September 2022 in Fouman, Iran. A total of 182 hamburger samples of two type of traditional hamburgers and industrial hamburgers was collected. Then identification of Sarcocystis cyst in hamburgers was done by using dab smear and digestion methods. Result: Out of the 182 hamburger samples of two different types were examined. A substantial 34% were found to be infected with Sarcocystis spp. The occurrence of infection rate within industrial and traditional hamburgers was 21.5% and 56%, respectively, so notably, a statistically significant difference was observed between Sarcocystis-infested traditional and industrial burgers (p<0.05). Among the two distinct groups of 182 hamburgers, the microscopic digestion method revealed the presence of Sarcocystis bradyzoites in all 51 infected traditional beef burgers and 19 positive industrial beef burgers, while unlike that just 33 and 12 positive samples of traditional and industrial beef burgers were respectively identified by using the dab smear method. Therefore a statistically significant difference was observed between this two method efficiency (p<0.05). Infection with macroscopic parasite cysts wasn’t observed in any of hamburger samples. Similarly, no statistically significant association was identified between the meat content percentage and the infection rate in industrial hamburgers (p>0.05). Discussion: A notable finding of this study was the infection of more than half (56%) of beef burgers with Sarcocystis. It is crucial from prevention and control of Sarcocystosis need to ensure that livestock are maintained in hygienic conditions, and they should be kept away from felids. Conclusion: Considering t