Pork as a source of transmission of Toxoplasma gondii to humans: a parasite burden study in pig tissues after infection with different strains of Toxoplasma gondii as a function of time and different parasite stages.

•There was no significant effect of the Tosoplasma gondii strains used on the parasite burden in pigs.•Heart and brain are the most parasitised tissues during the chronic phase of T. gondii infection.•A decreasing parasite burden in lungs as a function of time was observed in pigs after T. gondii infection.•Already at day 4 after infection the parasite can be found in both heart and lungs.•There is a potential effect of the parasite stage on the parasite burden.