High Prevalence and Intensity of Trichinella Infection in Yukon American Black (Ursus americanus) and Grizzly (Ursus arctos) Bears.
J Wildl Dis
; 57(2): 429-433, 2021 04 01.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33822166
ABSTRACT
Trichinella spp. nematodes are commonly found in bear species (Ursidae) and can pose severe health risks to humans when infective first-stage larvae are ingested in meat. Samples of tongue or masseter muscle from 22 male and 11 female American black bears (Ursus americanus; mean age 6.5 yr, range 1-16 yr) and 22 male, eight female, and one unknown sex grizzly bears (Ursus arctos; mean age 8.8 yr, range 2-28 yr), from Yukon, Canada, were tested to determine prevalence and intensity of Trichinella spp. infection. For black bears, prevalence was 20% and mean intensity was 401 larvae per gram of tissue (LPG), whereas for grizzly bears, prevalence was 71%, and mean infection intensity was 35 LPG. Isolates from all positive samples were identified as genotype Trichinella-T6 by multiplex PCR. For black bears, prevalence is the highest reported in Canada and infection intensity the highest recorded in North America. One black bear had a larval burden of 1,173 LPG, the second highest recorded in any host species. The prevalence in grizzly bears was the highest reported in Canada for this host. In total, 90% (27 of 30) of infected bears had infection burdens above the human food safety threshold of ≥1 LPG, reinforcing the importance of communicating the health risks to people consuming bear meat.
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MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Trichinella
/
Triquinelose
/
Ursidae
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article