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Trichinella nativa in Iceland: an example of Trichinella dispersion in a frigid zone

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2009

K. Skírnisson ,
G. Marucci  and
E. Pozio
K. Skírnisson
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Parasitology, Institute for Experimental Pathology, Keldur, University of Iceland, IS-112Reykjavik, Iceland
G. Marucci
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
E. Pozio*
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immunomediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
*
*Fax: (+39) 06 4990 3561 E-mail: edoardo.pozio@iss.it
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Abstract

In most Arctic and subarctic regions, Trichinella nativa is a common zoonotic pathogen circulating among wild carnivores. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is one of the most important reservoirs for T. nativa in frigid zones. In Iceland, Trichinella infection has never been detected in the local wildlife, despite the presence of one of the host species, the arctic fox (Alopex lagopus). In 2008, one of two polar bears that had swum to Iceland's coast was found to have been infected with Trichinella sp. (8.5 larvae/g in the tongue, 6.8 larvae/g in the masseter and 4.4 larvae/g in the diaphragm); the larvae were identified as T. nativa. This is the second report of Trichinella infection in polar bears that reached the Icelandic coast. In the present work, we describe this case of infection and discuss the epidemiological features that have allowed T. nativa to spread in Arctic regions.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 84 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 182 - 185
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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