Evidence of Trichinella spiralis in Timis County, Romania: A Report of a Winter Trichinellosis Outbreak in 2008 Due to Consumption of Contaminated Pork

A trichinellosis outbreak occurred in early 2008 in two villages in Timis County, Romania, due to consumption of pork from an infected animal. The infective species, detected by multiplex polymerase chain reaction, was Trichinella spiralis (Isolate Code ISS 1951). This report presents an extensive characterization of the outbreak using the documents of the epidemiological investigation and the medical charts of the hospitalized patients. Fifteen people consumed pork from the same backyard pig, which was slaughtered in the household without veterinary inspection of the meat. Among them, five patients presented clinical forms of the disease and were hospitalized. The analysis within this report includes only the hospitalized cases that were serologically confirmed. The mean age of the patients was 33.4 years. The common symptoms presented by these patients included headache, eyelid and lower limb edema, myalgia, fever, diarrhea, and nausea. Eosinophil counts ranged between 5.5% and 52%. Favorable outcomes were achieved for the patients using antihelminthic therapy. As an important public health concern, trichinellosis outbreaks reinforce the need to urgently implement veterinary and educational programs. Identification of T. spiralis in this case strengthens the supposition that it is one of the most frequently spread species in Romania.