Serology survey of Ascaris suum and Trichinella spiralis in rural pigs in Southwestern Mexico.

BACKGROUND

Parasitic diseases of pigs are a public and veterinary health problem. Helminths influence pork production, whereas backyard pigs can transmit these parasites.

OBJECTIVES

This work aimed to investigate the prevalence of antibodies against Ascaris suum and Trichinella spiralis in backyard pigs from Jamiltepec, Region de la Costa, Oaxaca, in Southwestern Mexico.

METHODS

Six hundred sixty-four serum samples were obtained from backyard pigs from 23 rural villages distributed in 5 municipalities; samples were taken in a non-probabilistic manner with the owner's consent. The presence of serum antibodies against a total extract of A. suum adult worm was determined by ELISA. In contrast, antibodies to the excretion-secretion products of the T. spiralis muscle larva were determined by Western blot.

RESULTS

The global seroprevalence for A. suum was 5.12% and 2.41% for T. spiralis; however, antibodies were only found in 8 villages and distributed in 3 municipalities. The highest frequency of positivity for Ascaris was found in the municipality of Santa Catarina Mechoacán (13.01%), whereas, in Santa María Huazalotitlán, the highest frequency of positivity for Trichinella was found (5.75%). In San Andrés, frequencies were 7.23% and 4.82%, respectively. No statistical differences were observed between populations.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that helminth transmission is restricted by locality. However, further studies must be conducted to understand the factors limiting this transmission to promote pork meat production in parasite-free zones.