RESUMEN
Distomum musculorum suis (DMS), the mesocercariae of Alaria alata, is typically found accidently during examination of wild boar meat for Trichinella spp. The aim of the study was to compare DMS detection methods. Briefly, 232 wild boar meat samples were tested by mesocercariae migration technique (AMT) as a reference method; of these, 104 were found to be positive. Selected positive samples were tested again with the three other methods: compressorium method (Compressor), digestion with magnetic stirrer (Digestion) and by modified digestion with Pancreatin® bile and pancreatic enzymes (D + P). The results were analyzed by logistic regression, the non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test. Of the 43 samples found positive by the AMT, 20 were found positive by Digestion and 25 by D + P. The Compressor identified DMS in seven of the 19 tested samples. The Digestion and D + P methods gave similar intensities (P = 0.506), i.e. 1.4 and 1.3 DMS respectively, but the AMT detected seven times higher number of parasites. The probability of detection of DMS in the meat sample by the Digestion or by D + P was higher than 0.5 when at least seven (Digestion) or five (D + P) DMS were present in the sample (AMT). The Compressor was the least sensitive method: at least 14 DMS must be present in the meat sample for detection. AMT should be considered the most accurate method of DMS detection.
RESUMEN
Various species of mammals, including humans and wild boars, can serve as paratenic hosts of Alaria alata mesocercariae - Distomum musculorum suis (DMS). Cases of DMS can be reliably detected by the recent introduction of the A. alata mesocercariae migration technique (AMT). The aim of this study is to present current data on the occurrence of DMS in wild boars in north-eastern Poland, and to compare the findings with those obtained in other European countries. A. alata was identified in 98 of 221 (44.3%) tissue samples of wild boar taken from five provinces in north-eastern Poland during the hunting seasons 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 based on AMT analysis. Positive results were found in all studied regions, but the percentage of infected individuals ranged from 26.3% in the Pomorskie province to 65.5% in the Warminsko-Mazurskie province. The mean number of larvae exceeded seven larvae per 30 g sample for three provinces: Pomorskie, Mazowieckie and Lubelskie. In turn, lower values were found in the Warminsko-Mazurskie province (3.3 larvae per 30 g), and the lowest in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie province (1.8 larvae per 30 g). The occurrence and intensity of A. alata infestation in wild boars was found to depend on the environment in which they live. Neither the sex or the age of the wild boar appeared to influence the occurrence nor the intensity of infestation.
