Volume 210, Issues 3–4, 15 June 2015, Pages 260–263
Highlights
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- Data available on Trichinella spp. is limited in animals and humans in Portugal.
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- Trichinella britovi was found in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from northern Portugal.
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- A sylvatic cycle is present in the study area with an underlying risk for humans.
Abstract
Trichinellosis is one of the most important foodborne parasitic zoonoses, caused by nematodes of the genus Trichinella. Pigs and other domestic and wild animals, including red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), are sources of Trichinella infection for human beings. Trichinella britovi
is the major agent of infection in sylvatic animals and the most
important species circulating in the European wildlife. The present
study aimed at assessing Trichinella spp. infection in red
foxes from the North of Portugal. Forty-seven carcasses of wild red
foxes shot during the official hunting season or killed in road
accidents were obtained between November 2008 and March 2010. In order
to identify the presence of Trichinella spp. larvae in red
foxes, an individual artificial digestion was performed using
approximately 30 g of muscle samples. Larvae of Trichinella spp. were detected in one (2.1%) out of the 47 assessed foxes. After a multiplex polymerase chain reaction analysis, T. britovi was molecularly identified as the infecting species. The recognition of T. britovi in a red fox confirms that a sylvatic cycle is present in the North of Portugal and that the local prevalence of Trichinella infection in wildlife must not be ignored due to its underlying zoonotic risks.
Graphical abstract
Keywords
- PCR;
- Portugal;
- Red fox;
- Trichinella britovi;
- Vulpes vulpes;
- Wildlife
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