Swine trichinosis in New England slaughterhouses

Diaphragms of 5,315 slaughter hogs from the New England states were examined for Trichinella spiralis infection between June 22 and Dec 22, 1983. Thirty-nine hogs (0.73%) were infected. The infections were light, none exceeding 30 larvae/g of tissue, with an arithmetic mean of 4.7 larvae/g. Infected hogs originated from 5 of 6 New England states. The widespread occurrence of porcine trichinosis in New England indicates that the small or part-time hog farming operations frequently found in this region may be especially vulnerable to the introduction and maintenance of the parasite.