[Microbiological diagnosis of trichinellosis]

Trichinellosis is a parasitic mammalian disease caused by roundworms from the Trichinella genus. It is an important zoonosis with humans becoming infected by eating raw or inadequately cooked infested meat. The disease is widespread and represents a public health problem. According to the World Health Organisation estimations, some 11 million people are infected by Trichinella annually. Trichinellosis has a broad clinical presentation, ranging from asymptomatic to fatal. Since there are no pathognomonic signs or symptoms, clinical diagnosis is difficult and the only reliable diagnostic methods are those parasitological.