[Epidemiology of trichinellosis in Italy and in neighboring countries]

In Italy Trichinella infection is present only in sylvatic animals, especially the fox. Nevertheless, the prevalence of this vulpine infection in Northern Italy decreased from 32% in 1960 to 4% in 1988. Other wild and synanthropic animals also promote the survival of the parasite in nature (in the wolf, bear, stray dog and cat, wild boar, Norway and black rats). At present, human infections are caused mostly by wild boar meat (11% of all cases) and by imported horse meat (43%), whereas pork does not cause infection in man, as a result of a considerable reduction in foraging swine. T. spiralis is absent in our country: only Trichinella sp. 3, less pathogenic in man, is present here. The domestic cycle disappeared in France, while the human infection caused by horse meat consumption now represents an important new health problem. In Switzerland there are no human infections due to consumption of local meat; at present the parasite infects only wild animals. The domestic cycle also disappeared in Austria and at present the parasite survives only in wild mammals especially the fox and the wild boar. On the other hand, in Yugoslavia there are many human cases caused both by domestic and sylvatic cycles.