Prevalence of porcine cysticercosis with incidental detections of trichinella spp. in the National Capital Region of the Philippines

• Main Authors: Crespo, Claire Angela D, Flores, Gilian Michel T, Homires, Jon Francis Rosseller E, Ramos, Miguel Alberto M
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: Cysticercosis—Philippines; Trichinella; Slaughtering and slaughter-houses; Life Sciences
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_bio/68; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_bio/article/1071/viewcontent/2024_Crespo_Prevalence_of_porcine_cysticercosis_with_incidental_detections_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Porcine cysticercosis is a parasitic disease in swine wherein the larval stage of Taenia solium (cysticerci) infects and becomes embedded in the muscle tissue of the swine. Additionally, T. solium can also cause taeniasis and cysticercosis in humans through zoonotic transmission. Porcine cysticercosis, taeniasis, and human cysticercosis, pose serious public health risks and cause significant economic loss in swine production. However, epidemiological information on porcine cysticercosis remains scarce and limited in the Philippines. Thus, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of cysticercus-infected tissue samples from swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) in slaughterhouses across the National Capital Region (NCR). With this, a cross-sectional study was carried out by procuring pork samples from 3 selected local slaughterhouses in NCR, namely Pasig City Slaughterhouse, Malabon Abattoir, and Kayang Meat and Slaughterhouse. A total of 33 heart, 33 masseter, 33 shoulder, and 33 tongue samples were examined in the study through gross inspection and direct microscopic examination (compression technique). Results show that none of the 33 meat samples tested positive for cysticercosis for all organs (heart, masseter, shoulder, and tongue), but Trichinella spp. larvae were detected in 1 masseter (3.03%) and 3 tongue samples (9.09%). All the positive samples for Trichinella spp. were taken from Malabon Abattoir. The findings of this study suggest that Trichinella spp. infection might be present in pig farms that supply the slaughterhouse, which necessitates more epidemiologic studies to provide baseline information and prevent further transmission of Trichinella spp. in the region.