RESUMO
Trichinellosis is an important and under-recognized food-borne zoonosis in Southeast Asia. After 30 years of no reports, a small outbreak was described in Central Lao PDR (Laos) in 2003. Here we report a large outbreak of at least 650 estimated patients in Udomxay (northern Laos) in June 2005. Trichinella ELISA assays on serum from 133 patients and Western blot assays on 16 patients were positive in 67.6% and 81.2%, respectively. No deaths were recorded. Consumption of uncooked or fermented pork at funeral and wedding ceremonies was the main source of infection. Larvae of Trichinella spiralis were found in 1 of 11 local pigs not involved in this outbreak. The results suggest that trichinellosis may be an under-recognized but important endemic disease in Laos and reinforces the need to urgently implement veterinary and educational programs.
Assuntos
Surtos de Doenças , Trichinella/isolamento & purificação , Triquinelose/epidemiologia , Adulto , Animais , Anticorpos Anti-Helmínticos/sangue , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática , Feminino , Contaminação de Alimentos , Rituais Fúnebres , Humanos , Laos/epidemiologia , Masculino , Suínos/parasitologia , Triquinelose/sangue , Triquinelose/etiologia , Triquinelose/parasitologia , Zoonoses/epidemiologia , Zoonoses/etiologia , Zoonoses/parasitologiaRESUMO
We developed a PCR-based assay using a single primer pair to amplify the 5S ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer region to identify Trichinella isolates. In our method, amplified products are directly sequenced on both strands and compared to GenBank sequences. Using this method, we were able to identify Trichinella spiralis, T. britovi and T. nativa. This method permits rapid species identification of Trichinella isolates; however, further evaluation is required before recommending this approach for routine use.
