Seroprevalence of Trichinella infections in domestic dogs from Slovakia

Abstract

Trichinellosis is constantly present in the sylvatic cycle in Slovakia, with several sporadic human outbreaks registered since the 1960s. The largest outbreak of trichinellosis occurred in 1998 and was related to the consumption of dog meat that had been added to smoked pork sausages. The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of Trichinella infection in domestic dogs in various regions of Slovakia. Out of 439 dogs tested, 56 (12.8%) were classified as a seropositive based on the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), with confirmation by Western blotting. The highest seropositivity was recorded among dogs from the eastern part of Slovakia, in the Prešov (22.9%) and Košice (17.1%) regions, long considered to be highly endemic for Trichinella occurrence and where the prevalence of infection in the vulpine population is also the highest in Slovakia. Trichinella-seropositive animals were detected significantly more often in dogs kept in rural areas (21.1%) when compared with animals living in towns or suburban localities (7.7%). On the other hand, neither age, nor gender and size of the dogs were shown to be a significant factor for Trichinella infection (P > 0.05). The present results indicate that the dog population in Slovakia is at high risk of exposure to Trichinella parasites and could potentially represent a suitable host group for serological monitoring of Trichinella infection as convenient sentinel animals.

Cats as a sentinel species for human infectious diseases – toxoplasmosis, trichinellosis, and COVID-19

“…were also recorded in dogs in Slovakia. In total, 12.8% of 439 tested animals were seropositive in the study of Miterpáková et al (2017) . Similar research by Thi et al (2013) in Vietnam revealed seropositivity to Trichinella in 4% of 125 dogs and none of 98 cats.…”

Immunoproteomic Analysis of Trichinella britovi Proteins Recognized by IgG Antibodies from Meat Juice of Carnivores Naturally Infected with T. britovi

“…Although in the domestic cycle the immune response during Trichinella infection has been widely studied in pigs, under controlled conditions with a known infection dose and species of Trichinella [ 14 , 30 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ], the immunoprevalence of anti- Trichinella antibodies has been also examined in many animals species connected to the sylvatic cycle [ 13 , 24 , 26 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ] as the main reservoir of Trichinella nematodes in the environment. Infections in wildlife occur in a natural way—the dose of infection, the timing, and whether they occur once or repeatedly remain unknown.…”