Abstract
Trichinellosis is a zoonotic meat-borne disease caused by the nematodes of the genus Trichinella. Meat containing live Trichinella larvae is a source of infection. The examination of meat for Trichinella was introduced in 1869, but the digestion method for this did not appear in Poland until the late 1970s. Nowadays, the meat of all food animals susceptible to Trichinella spp. is examined in the frame of official post mortem control with the digestion method. The majority of laboratories in Poland meet the requirements of the ISO/IEC 17025 Standard (352 field laboratories). Laboratory personnel participate in quality control programs. This paper presents the results of proficiency tests (PTs) organized within 2015–2019 in Poland. Over this period, the laboratories examined 7580 samples (contamination levels: zero, one, three, and five larvae). Each laboratory was provided with a set of samples (one negative and three positive). Over 95% of the samples were considered correct in qualitative assessments, though the results of the quantitative evaluations were slightly lower, with 89% of samples being considered correct. Based on a sample evaluation, 88% of laboratories passed the PT comparison. A slight decrease was observed in the examination of samples spiked with five larvae, and great progress was achieved in samples containing three larvae. Low levels of sample contamination are sought after in laboratories but may make evaluations difficult. For this reason, we must consider increasing the number of larvae added to the samples in the next PTs.
Highlights
Trichinellosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by nematodes of the Trichinella genus
Under the Prus partitions, pork meat intended for consumption has been tested for the presence of Trichinella spiralis since 1869, using the trichinoscopic method (TRM), which became obligatory under the Austria partition in 1883 [1]
Following the plan approved by the Director of the National Veterinary Research Institute, regional coordinators submit a list of field laboratories designated to participate in the proficiency tests (PTs) to the National Reference Laboratories (NRLs)
Summary
Trichinellosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease caused by nematodes of the Trichinella genus. Under the Prus partitions, pork meat intended for consumption has been tested for the presence of Trichinella spiralis since 1869, using the trichinoscopic method (TRM), which became obligatory under the Austria partition in 1883 [1]. The obligatory examination of pig meat for T. spiralis was introduced by the regulation of the President of the Republic of Poland in 1928. In 1953, the regulation extended the compulsory examination of pigs to an obligation to test the meat of wild boar and pigs slaughtered for owner consumption. Over 18 million pigs, 120,000 wild boars, and 40,000 horses are examined for Trichinella spp. in Poland each year. In 2013, over 68 pigs from one farm in East Poland were found to be T. spiralis-positive, and in the last decade, T. spiralis and T. britovi larvae were found in two horse carcasses (one in Poland and another in Italy) [2]
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