Trichinellosis
Introduction
Trichinellosis is a zoonotic disease which occurs worldwide and is caused by the nematode Trichinella. The roundworm Trichinella spp., infects many carnivorous and omnivorous animal species, including domestic pigs. Currently, 11 different subspecies have been recognized in this genus. The species that are of main importance in Europe are Trichinella spiralis, Trichinella britovi, Trichinella pseudospiralis and Trichinella nativa. T. spiralis is of main concern because domestic pigs show a high susceptibility to this genotype. Trichinella britovi is mostly found in wildlife. Trichinella pseudospiralis is a non-encapsulating species, meaning that it does not form the characteristic capsule as that of other species. (e.g. T. spiralis). Another characteristic of Trichinella pseudospiralis is that it can also infect birds. Trichinella nativa is commonly found in wildlife, is a cold climate adapted species and is resistant to freezing. The worm can infect any species of mammal that consumes its encysted larval stages.
In the European Union, Trichinellosis is commonly detected in areas of traditional agriculture where pigs are reared in small holdings with insufficient control measures. Occasionally cases can also occur in holdings with good farm management practices in place.
Human health risk
Human health can be affected by all species of Trichinella. Humans can be infected by eating raw or insufficiently cooked meat. The symptoms of a Trichinella infection at first are diarrhoea, vomiting, fatigue, fever and abdominal discomfort. At a later stage headache, fever, chills, cough, eye swelling, aching joints and muscle pains, itchy skin, diarrhoea or constipation can occur. At an advanced stage of infection, the patient will likely have difficulties coordinating movements and will have heart and breathing problems. In some cases infections can cause death. Every year at least 90 human cases of infection are reported in the EU and EEA/EFTA countries.
Economic impact
The European Union spends millions of Euros every year testing pig meat for the presence of Trichinella. These costs will likely increase as a result of the EC regulation 2075/2005 that came into effect 2006, requiring the testing of all pig carcasses for Trichinellosis.
Diagnostic solution
Under the European Commission Directive (EC) No. 2075/2005 all pigs slaughtered for human consumption have to be tested for Trichinellosis by artificial digestion. However, the regulation allows the number of pigs tested to be reduced for holdings and areas that are certified as Trichinella-free. A serological test may be used for this purpose.
Prionics offers the PrioCHECK® Trichinella Ab test which is a highly sensitive and specific ELISA for detection of antibodies against Trichinella spp. in serum and meat juice samples of pigs.
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