If the concern for the wild boars until now it had been mainly linked to the degradation of Rome with the invasion of mammals on the streets of the capital, now there is a new alert: on three wild boars just killed after the start of the hunting season was found the trichinelladisease caused by cylindrical worms, “parasite that is localized in the intestine, giving rise to a new generation of larvae that migrate into the muscles, where they then encyst“, explains the Istituto Superiore di Sanitàn (Iss).
What is “trinchinellosis”
This disease not only affects animals but can be transmitted to humans causing “trichinellosis”: this parasite, in fact, can infect mammals, birds and reptiles, especially carnivorous and omnivorous ones such as pigs, foxes, boars, but also dogs, cats the man. The three animals that tested positive were hunted in recent days in the eastern Apennine area of the province of Frosinone: the alarm was raised by the “Veterinary Inspection Services of Foods of Animal Origin” of the Frosinone Local Health Authority. Potentially, the disease can also have a severe course. “I symptomsinitially intestinal and / or allergic depend on the location of the parasite within the human body as the larvae migrate to the muscles and organs that ingest them “, declares the Asl a FrosinoneToday.
How it is transmitted
As in the case of other food diseases, the danger is mainly linked to meat “eaten uncooked in the form of carpaccio “, adds the ASL. “The transmission to humans it occurs exclusively via food, through the consumption of raw or undercooked meat containing the larvae of the parasite. In Italy, the transmission vehicle is pork (pig or wild boar), horse meat and more rarely wild carnivores (fox). Trichinosis is not spread from person to person“, says the ISS. The parasite’s incubation period lasts between 8 and 15 days but can vary from 5 to 45 days depending on the number of parasites ingested.
Countermeasures
The prevention immediately implemented by the Veterinary Services of the ASL of Frosinone (Food Inspection) together with the territorial hunting associations “has made it possible over time to ensure rapid identification and elimination of subjects at riskIn the last three years, however, nine wild boars affected by the parasite and three outbreaks have already been identified and killed, all already localized and eliminated from the food chain. The danger, in this case, is a priori avoided. because experts say that all hunted wild boars are always subjected “with trichinoscopic control because the identification of the infected allows to interrupt the chain of transmission of the parasite both between animals and especially from animals to humans“.
How to defend yourself
Those who evade the checks, of course, expose themselves and consumers to the risk of contagion and to the symptoms of the disease, so much so that the ASL invites all hunters to contact the veterinarians to carry out the necessary checks. “The classic symptoms are characterized by diarrhea (which is present in about 40% of infected individuals), muscle pain, weakness, sweating, edema of the upper eyelids, photophobia and fever.“, says the Istituto Superiore di Sanità. Trichinellosis can be avoided by consuming well-cooked meat (one minute at 65 ° C), avoiding eating too dark meat (color must be between pink and brown) and then, when slaughtered meat at home, the tools must be sanitized well. “Salting, drying, smoking and microwave cooking of the meat do not ensure the killing of the parasite “, conclude l’Iss.