''Trichinella britovi'' is a

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

responsible for a

zoonotic disease A zoonosis (; plural zoonoses) or zoonotic disease is an infectious disease of humans caused by a pathogen (an infectious agent, such as a bacterium, virus, parasite or prion) that has jumped from a non-human (usually a vertebrate) to a human. ...

called

trichinellosis Trichinosis, also known as trichinellosis, is a parasitic disease caused by roundworms of the ''Trichinella'' type. During the initial infection, invasion of the intestines can result in diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Migration of lar ...

. Currently, eight species of ''Trichinella'' are known, only three of which cause trichinellosis, and ''Trichinella britovi'' is one of them. Numerous mammal species, as well as birds and crocodiles, can harbor the parasite worldwide, but the

sylvatic cycle The sylvatic cycle, also enzootic or sylvatic transmission cycle, is a portion of the natural transmission cycle of a pathogen. Sylvatic refers to the occurrence of a subject in or affecting wild animals. The sylvatic cycle is the fraction of the ...

is mainly maintained by wild carnivores. Humans represent only a possible

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

and the parasite is exclusively transmitted through consumption of raw or

Rare Meat Doneness is a gauge of how thoroughly cooked a cut of meat is based on its color, juiciness, and internal temperature. The gradations are most often used in reference to beef (especially steaks and roasts) but are also applicable to other type ...

. In Europe,

pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

and

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

meat are the main sources for human infection. Because of mandatory veterinary controls in

slaughterhouse A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

s, large trichinellosis outbreaks due to horse-meat consumption are rare, but cases in hunters and their families after raw or rare wild boar meat consumption are regularly reported, with over 100 cases since 1975. ''T. britovi'' in wild boar is relatively resistant to freezing. In France, meat from naturally infected wild boar meat frozen for three weeks at remained infectious, whereas the parasites were not viable after four weeks. In the 1960s, "trichinella infection" was documented in

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

. A survey of 160 wild animals from that region produced plausible evidence that European strains may have originated in Africa. It has also been proposed that strains of ''T. britovi'' are isolated to both African and European populations. Three cases of human trichinellosis due to ''T. britovi'' were reported in 2015 in the Southeast of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

resulting from consumption of raw pork sausages (''figatelli'') prepared in

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. Fourteen other people ate ''figatelli'' from the same batch, but were not infected due to the ''figatelli'' being well cooked.

Prevention

To prevent trichinellosis, an official European directive recommends the freezing of meat at for at least 10 days for pieces of meat less than in thickness. Patients froze wild boar steaks at for seven days, but this freezing time appears insufficient to kill larvae, since ''T. britovi'' is a species relatively resistant to freezing. Thus according to the International Commission on Trichinellosis, meat should be heated at for at least 1 minute to kill ''Trichinella'' larvae; larvae die when the color of the meat at the core changes from pink to brown.

References

{{Authority control Trichocephalida Parasitic nematodes of vertebrates Parasitic nematodes of humans Parasites of equines Parasites of reptiles