PROTOFOOD
Contamination of bivalve molluscs
Context
Protozoa are unicellular organisms. Their cell is eukaryotic, i.e. has a real nucleus. A large part of the life cycle of some parasitic protozoa takes place within the host cells (e.g. mollusks). This cycle may include several stages in which the parasite multiplies. Several epidemic episodes associated with the consumption of food contaminated by protozoa have been described in recent years.
Objective
Setting up a global strategy allowing to extract protozoa from mollusks and plants.
About the <strong>project </strong>
The project activities will allow the detection and the characterization in these extractions the protozoa most frequently involved in food infections (Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Toxoplasma), in order to better understand the modalities of food contamination. Finally, the project aims to characterize the impact of domestic shellfish cooking on the viability of these parasites.
