Temporal and geographic analysis of trichinellosis incidence in Chile with risk assessment.

Trichinellosis is a foodborne disease caused by several Trichinella species around the world. In Chile, the domestic cycle was fairly well-studied in previous decades, but has been neglected in recent years. The aims of this study were to analyze, geographically, the incidence of trichinellosis in Chile to assess the relative risk and to analyze the incidence rate fluctuation in the last decades. Using temporal data spanning 1964-2019, as well as geographical data from 2010 to 2019, the time series of cases was analyzed with ARIMA models to explore trends and periodicity. The Dickey-Fuller test was used to study trends, and the Portmanteau test was used to study white noise in the model residuals. The Besag-York-Mollie (BYM) model was used to create Bayesian maps of the level of risk relative to that expected by the overall population. The association of the relative risk with the number of farmed swine was assessed with Spearman's correlation. The number of annual cases varied between 5 and 220 (mean: 65.13); the annual rate of reported cases varied between 0.03 and 1.9 cases per 105 inhabitants (mean: 0.53). The cases of trichinellosis in Chile showed a downward trend that has become more evident since the 1980s. No periodicities were detected via the autocorrelation function. Communes (the smallest geographical administrative subdivision) with high incidence rates and high relative risk were mostly observed in the Araucanía region. The relative risk of the commune was significantly associated with the number of farmed pigs and boar (Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758). The results allowed us to state that trichinellosis is not a (re)emerging disease in Chile, but the severe economic poverty rate of the Mapuche Indigenous peoples and the high number of backyard and free-ranging pigs seem to be associated with the high risk of trichinellosis in the Araucanía region.

[A hundred years since the beginning of the Great War: trichinosis outbreak in Dresden marine in Chile: Chronicle of an announced infection]. / A cien años del inicio de la Gran Guerra: brote de triquinosis en marinos del Dresden en Chile: Crónica de una infección anunciada.

In commemoration of one hundred years of the beginning of World War I, the occurrence of an outbreak of trichinosis in the crew of the SMS Dresden, a German ship that participated in that world conflagration, is re-viewed. In September 1915, while the sailors of SMS Dresden were forcibly detained on Isla Quiriquina, Bío Bío Region, Chile, 60 individuals became ill. The cause of the outbreak was the consumption of sausages made from pork infected with the parasite Trichinella spiralis. There was a fatal case. The review of the epidemiological aspects that facilitated the presentation and spread of human trichinosis at that time allows to conclude that, pork breeded in poor hygienic conditions, meat and its by-products clandestinely sold without sanitary inspection and the language barrier were determinant in the occurrence of the epidemic outbreak.

A cien años del inicio de la Gran Guerra: brote de triquinosis en marinos del Dresden en Chile: Crónica de una infección anunciada / A hundred years since the beginning of the Great War: trichinosis outbreak in Dresden marine in Chile: Chronicle of an announced infection

In commemoration of one hundred years of the beginning of World War I, the occurrence of an outbreak of trichinosis in the crew of the SMS Dresden, a German ship that participated in that world conflagration, is re-viewed. In September 1915, while the sailors of SMS Dresden were forcibly detained on Isla Quiriquina, Bío Bío Region, Chile, 60 individuals became ill. The cause of the outbreak was the consumption of sausages made from pork infected with the parasite Trichinella spiralis. There was a fatal case. The review of the epidemiological aspects that facilitated the presentation and spread of human trichinosis at that time allows to conclude that, pork breeded in poor hygienic conditions, meat and its by-products clandestinely sold without sanitary inspection and the language barrier were determinant in the occurrence of the epidemic outbreak.

A propósito de la conmemoración de los cien años del inicio de la Primera Guerra Mundial, se revisa la ocurrencia de un brote epidémico de triquinosis en tripulantes del SMS Dresden, buque alemán que participó en esa conflagración mundial. Este suceso, acaecido en septiembre de 1915, ocurrió mientras los marinos se encontraban forzosamente recluidos en la Isla Quiriquina, Región del Bío Bío, Chile. La causa del brote fue el consumo de embutidos fabricados a partir de carne de cerdo infectada con el parásito Trichinella spiralis e involucró a 60 mari-neros, de los cuales hubo un caso fatal. La revisión de los aspectos epidemiológicos que favorecían la presentación de triquinosis humana en la época permite concluir que, la crianza porcina en malas condiciones higiénicas, la venta clandestina de carnes y subproductos sin inspección sanitaria y la barrera idiomática fueron determinantes en la ocurrencia del brote epidémico.

[Trichinae, pigs and veterinary public health: The introduction of the microscopic world into the scientific basis for meat inspection (Barcelona, 1870s)]. / Triquinas, cerdos y salud pública veterinaria: la inclusión del mundo microscópico en la base científica de la inspección cárnica (Barcelona, 1870s).

During the second half of the 19th century, Spanish authorities began developing specific programs on the safety of certain foods intended for human consumption. This paper analyses the key features that gave rise to the inclusion of the veterinarian in the administrative structure responsible for safeguarding public health. Among the aspects covered, special focus is put on the relationship between human and animal medicine at a time when growing public alarm in relation to certain zoonoses contributed to shaping the notion of veterinary public health. The appearance of a disease in pigs that was transmissible through the consumption of parasitized meat set the scene for veterinary inspection to be associated with the protection of public health. The outbreaks of trichinosis all over Spain in the 1870's proved the existence of contagium animatum in a pre-bacteriology era, and this led to the introduction of improvements in food inspection. In this sense, microscopic examination of pork products encouraged the modernization of inspection tasks undertaken by veterinarians, which had previously focused on the organoleptic evaluation of meat and fish and on unveiling fraud. The introduction of microscopes was widely accepted and established a watershed between acceptable and unacceptable methods of carrying out the examination of meat. Furthermore, this "technological" method of diagnosis brought veterinary medicine closer to other more prestigious health professions, at least in theory. Among other aspects, the acceptance of trichinae as an exogenous cause of disease contributed to 19th century doctors learning about the idea of pathogenic microorganisms from veterinarians. At a social level, the use of the microscope was seen as a way of preventing the transmission to people of an animal disease that was very much in the public eye at the time. From the political point of view, the process -analysed in this paper from the perspective of veterinarians in Barcelona- allows a glimpse of the contrast between the desire of some Catalan veterinarians to modernize their profession and what was happening in others parts of Spain.

[History of trichinellosis in the history of the catalog of the French National Library]. / Quelques aspects de l'histoire de la trichinellose à travers le catalogue de la BNF.

The Open Line public access catalogue of the French National Library was consulted for the following key-words: trichine, trichinose, Trichina, trichinellose. Around 50 monographs in French were published during three periods: 1860-1869, 1880-1889 and 1970-1979. The 1970-1979 wave was linked with the emergence in Paris and its region of an outbreak related to horse-meat consumption. The 1880-1889 wave is explained by an economical war between Europe and the United States of America. The 1860-1870 wave occurred when the parasite cycle and the human disease were identified in Germany by Virchow and Zenker. In addition, some political and economic events could have increased the fear of the disease.

The roots of evil: the amazing history of trichinellosis and Trichinella parasites.

This review aims to investigate, from a historical point of view, the roots of the Trichinella pathogens and the disease they produce, beginning from the times first recorded in the Bible and continuing until the scientific mysteries of the pathogen were finally unveiled. Our journey sheds light on "strange" epidemics developing before the discovery of the parasite and bearing a clinical similitude to trichinellosis; it follows the controversies that erupted after the nineteenth century discovery of the parasite and the subsequent official outbreaks, and then examines the pioneering methods used for its visualization. Finally, it tries to reveal the possible relationship of trichinellosis with the arts. Furthermore, it seems that the saga of the helminth, "destined to remain with us, both in nature and in the laboratory," will continue to haunt and fascinate scientists from both developing and developed countries, as they try to answer new questions about the parasite's "evil" nature.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart--controversies regarding his illnesses and death: a bibliographic review.

More has been written about Mozart's illnesses and death than for any other composer. An exploration of PAMA's Bibliography of Performing Arts Medicine provides the data for this review. The bibliography contained 136 entries that pertained to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Of these, 81 were available to the author, either in printed or electronic copy. In order to provide a clearer historical perspective on this topic, this review assembles information pertaining to illnesses and other medical problems that occurred during Mozart's life as well as those purportedly contributing to his death.

[Health and death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]. / Gezondheid en dood van Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Not much is known about the medical history and cause of death of the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Contrary to popular opinion, Mozart was not an exceptionally ill child and as an adult he generally enjoyed good health. At the age of 9 years he experienced a life-threatening illness, which was probably typhoid fever. On the left-hand side he had what has since become known as 'Mozart's ear', a pinna with under-development of the anthelical fold. His psychological condition gives rise to the notion that he was not exceptional, but that he responded to the events in his life in a normal manner. His terminal illness was characterised by edema of hands and feet, without any associated dyspnoea being described. The medical treatment was aggressive: enema, bloodletting on several occasions and treatment with a laxative substance. He was burried in an anonymous grave. The skull that was later ascribed to him was not his own, as no element of the denture fits with the tooth abscess he was known to have experienced. An overdose of mercury during the treatment of syphilis seems to be unlikely, as equally Henoch-Schönlein-purpura and the consequences of acute rheumatism. Trichinosis is a recent hypothesis which fits the terminal symptoms and the fact that Mozart was fond of pork. The diagnosis of his physician Closset was 'hitsiges Frieselfieber', which was possibly caused by one of the many infectious diseases prevalent at that time.

History of trichinellosis surveillance.

The origin of trichinellosis, which existed in ancient times as testified by the discovery of parasite larvae on an Egyptian mummy, unfolded in several stages: discovery of encapsulated larvae (in the 1820s), identification and scientific description of these larvae (Paget & Owen, 1835), followed by experimental infestations of animals (dogs, pigs, rabbits, mice) or of humans as from 1850. The main occurrences of trichinellosis were followed with particular attention in Europe (Germany, Denmark, France, etc.) and in the United States of America at the end of the XIXth century. They affected numerous domestic animal species (pigs, horses, etc.) or wildlife and humans. Germany paid the heaviest toll with regard to the disease in humans, between 1860 and 1880, with several thousands of patients and more than 500 deaths. Different trichinellosis surveillance systems were set up in the relevant countries in the 1860s. In humans, this surveillance was carried out on affected living patients by a biopsy of the biceps muscles and subsequently by an analysis of eosinophilia (1895). In animals, surveillance was for a long time solely based on postmortem examination of the muscles of the affected animals. This method was used for the first time in 1863 in Germany, and from the 1890s, on several hundreds of thousands of pigs in Europe or in the United States of America.