First record of wild boar infected with Trichinella pseudospiralis in Poland

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: The paper describes identification of Trichinella species isolated from wild boars (Sus scrofa) in the most popular hunting region of the West Pomeranian Province of Poland. Material and Methods: The Trichinella larvae were identified by digestion method. For species identification of the larvae, multiplex PCR was used according to the European Reference Laboratory for Parasites Multiplex PCR protocol. The results were confirmed by molecular amplification of 5S rDNA gene and sequence analysis. Results: Prevalence of 0.54% Trichinella–positive wild boars in the West Pomeranian Province was recorded. Examination of the larvae showed the occurrence of T. spiralis in 79 %, T. britovi in 16.5 %, mixed infection with T. spiralis/T. britovi in 3.5%, and T. pseudospiralis in 1.0% of the boars. Conclusion: This is the first record of wild boar infected with non-encapsulated larvae of T. pseudospiralis in Poland. The species is very difficult to determine, especially using trichinoscopic method. The discovery of the larvae in the animals which may be intended for human consumption confirms that digestion technique should be the only method used for the inspection of meat, especially that from wild boars..