Xth ICT, August 2000

Epidemiology of swine trichinellosis in the Republic of Croatia

¹ Veterinary Faculty, University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia.
² Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Republic of Croatia, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia.
³ Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome, Italy.

^* Correspondence : A. Marinculić. Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, Veterinary Faculty University of Zagreb, Heinzelova 55 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. Tel.: 00385 01 2390362 - Fax : 00385 01 2441390 E-mail: albert@vef.hr

Abstract

In order to study the epidemiology of trichinellosis with special emphasis on swine a detailed study was performed. The goals of the study were to define the prevalence of trichinellosis in swine and rats and to determine the etiological agents of the disease with special emphasis on sylvatic species, Trichinella britovi. Considering the obtained data it can be concluded that the risk of Trichinella infection for swine in endemic areas in Croatia is rather high today. On the contrary, a sharp decline in human cases is registered what is certainly a result of obligatory trichinelloscopy even for private purposes. The parasite was found to be prevalent in rats too. Studies on genotypes suggest that Trichinella spiralis is the most prevalent etiological agent of domestic trichinellosis in Croatia, even so the sylvatic species Trichinella britovi can be also present in the domestic habitat suggesting a link between the sylvatic and domestic cycle.