Absence of Trichinella infection in adult pigs slaughtered in Palmas, State of Parana (Brazil), detected by modified artificial digestion assay

Samples of 2,490 adult pigs, slaughtered under federal inspection between May 2004 and February 2005 in the county of Palmas, State of Paraná, Brazil, were examined by pooled sample artificial digestion with magnetic stirrer assay for a survey of Trichinella spp. larvae. Animals originated from 53 counties in three states of southern Brazil. Test sensitivity was increased with modifications of the European standard for artificial digestion. In this survey, a 5-g sample of tongue and 5-g sample of diaphragm pillar were collected from each pig into a pool of 100 g (up to 10 animals for each assay). A 355-microm mesh sieve was used, but no larvae were detected in the pigs, indicating that trichinellosis does not occur in the examined stocks.