Trichinellosis is considered a notifiable disease established by official regulations.
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For this reason, the National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service (Senasa) establishes the ways to deal with notifications of the disease, the registration of suspicions and outbreaks.
Trichinosis or trichinellosis is an endemic parasitic disease. It is caused by nematode larvae of the genus Trichinella, which affect humans, domestic and wild mammals, birds and reptiles.
It is a zoonosis that is transmitted to people accidentally, through the ingestion of meat or meat derivatives, raw or undercooked , that contain these larvae.
In Argentina, the main source of infection for humans is the domestic pig, although there are also others, such as wild boar, feral pigs or pumas.
Regarding domestic pigs, parasitism is strictly related to the conditions of their upbringing, especially with the feeding and presence of synanthropic animals (for example, rats) in the farm or in nearby garbage dumps.
Although the pig is the species that is most frequently involved in the occurrence of human cases, there are also outbreaks caused by the consumption of wild animal meat –generally in the form of cold cuts and sausages without bromatological control or insufficiently fresh meat. cooked–.
In Argentina, the habits of rearing pigs at home (backyard) without adequate hygiene and feeding conditions favor the spread and maintenance of this parasitosis.
This is associated, in turn, with home or homemade slaughter without sanitary control, which results in the supply of risky foods for those who consume them (cured, smoked, raw or undercooked meat).
People get sick from eating raw or undercooked meat or products made from pork or wild animals, mainly wild boars and pumas, which contain larvae of parasites of the genus Trichinella in their muscles. Therefore, it is also considered a foodborne disease (ETA).
Once people ingest parasitized products, the larvae are released in the stomach, continue their cycle in the intestine and after reproducing, they migrate through the bloodstream to the muscles, where they lodge and can cause fever, diarrhea, swelling of the eyelids, vomiting, itchy skin, pain and motor difficulties.
This disease has a strong negative impact on human health. The clinical picture is highly variable and can range from an asymptomatic condition to more serious pictures, depending on the number of larvae ingested and the immune status of the host.
For people who consume pork products and derivatives (or meat from wild animals such as wild boar and puma), Senasa recalls some of the main recommendations to prevent this foodborne disease.
- Eat well-cooked pork, cooking it until the pink color and juice disappear (understanding that salting, smoking or microwave cooking do not kill the parasite. Neither does freezing).
- Purchase derived and cured products (such as ham, bacon, sausage and chorizos) only in authorized shops and verify that they have a label that includes the registration numbers of the product and the manufacturing establishment.
- Do not consume products of unknown origin, without labels or purchased in stores that are not authorized by a local or provincial food authority.
It is important that when symptoms compatible with this disease are suspected, a medical consultation is carried out to make an early diagnosis. ■