Outbreak of trichinellosis in Cáceres, Spain, December 2001–February 2002

Abstract

An outbreak of trichinellosis by T. britovi occured in Cáceres, Spain, between 18 December 2001 and 11 February 2002, following the consumption of insufficiently cooked meat from a domestic pig. Among the 56 people exposed, 26 cases of trichinellosis were diagnosed, of which 17 serologically confirmed. The mean incubation period was 23.5 days (3–45). Among the foodstuffs suspected, salami-type sausages were associated with an attack rate of 93.3% (14/15), and a dose-response relationship was observed. Trichinella britovi is essentially a sylvatic species, but this study suggests a change in the epidemiology of trichinellosis.