Swine trichinosis in New England slaughterhouses

Abstract

Diaphragms of 5,315 slaughter hogs from the New England states were examined for Trichinella spiralis infection between June 22 and Dec 22, 1983. Thirty-nine hogs (0.73%) were infected. The infections were light, none exceeding 30 larvae/g of tissue, with an arithmetic mean of 4.7 larvae/g. Infected hogs originated from 5 of 6 New England states. The widespread occurrence of porcine trichinosis in New England indicates that the small or part-time hog farming operations frequently found in this region may be especially vulnerable to the introduction and maintenance of the parasite.