Trichinella britovi in wild boar meat from Italy, 2015–2021: A citizen science approach to surveillance

Abstract

As a result of the increase of game meat intended for human consumption through Europe, a plethora of food-borne diseases, including trichinellosis, may occur in consumers, posing a relevant public health threat. Thus, this study aims to a citizen science approach to monitor the occurrence of <i>Trichinella</i> spp. in wild boar meat intended for human consumption, evaluating the risk of infection for consumers. Following the European Regulation 2015/1375 (<i>laying down specific rules on official controls for Trichinella in meat</i>), from 2015 to 2021, hunters (<i>n</i> = 478) were involved to collect diaphragm pillar samples of wild boars from mainland southern Italy, which were tested for <i>Trichinella</i> spp. L₁ larvae via HCl-pepsin digestion and Multiplex PCR. Overall, 139,160 animals were collected (average of 19,880 per year), being 14 (i.e., 0.01%) tested positive to <i>Trichinella britovi</i> by the combined biochemical and molecular approach. An average larval burden of 28.4 L₁ per gram of meat was found (minimum 3.2 - maximum 132.6). A statistically significant difference was found in the prevalence according to hunting seasons (<i>p</i> < 0.01, with higher values in 2016 and 2021) and regions of the study area (<i>p</i> < 0.01). No statistically significant decrease in the prevalence of <i>T. britovi</i> throughout the study period was found (<i>p</i> = 0.51), except in Apulia region (<i>p</i> < 0.01). These findings revealed a stable prevalence of <i>T. britovi</i> in wild boar meat intended for human consumption, suggesting a risk of infection for consumers, especially hunters and local markets users. Citizen science surveillance models could be promoted to improve trichinellosis control and prevention in a <i>One Health</i> perspective.