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In Germany, Trichinella spp. are mainly detected in the sylvatic cycle. Here, the affected animal species are wild boar, fox, badger, raccoon dog, wolf, raccoon and golden jackal. The predominantly detected species are T. spiralis , followed by T. pseudospiralis and T. britovi. Due to legal requirements in Germany, all hunted wild boars and other susceptible animals must be examined for Trichinella spp. if their meat is intended for human consumption. In recent years, an increase in the number of Trichinella -positive wild boar shot in Germany has been registered and the prevalence of positive wild boar scaled up from 0.002 % to 0.005 % between 2013 and 2023. Regarding regional distribution, most Trichinella findings in wild boar have been registered in the North-Eastern part of Germany. Here, the federal states Western-Pomerania, Brandenburg and Saxony that are bordering to Poland are particularly affected. The increase in positive wild boar may be associated with the spread of raccoon dogs and wolves in these regions. Thus, measures are required to prevent the spread of Trichinella among wild animals and to follow the systematic meat inspection in susceptible wild animals intended for food especially wild boar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Infective Trichinella spiralis larvae found in raw sausages 13 days post production. • Inactivation of larvae is influenced by the type of packaging. • Three-level rated infectivity score as proxy for larval infectivity is introduced. Processing of meat is one possible approach to control meat-borne parasites. Processing methods such as freezing, cooking and irradiation are recommended for the control of Trichinella in pork, horse or game meat if specific technical conditions are fulfilled. Curing is a widely used preservation process influencing product characteristics such as shelf life, food safety, and taste. As curing methods are characterized by high parameter variability and predictions about inactivation of parasitic stages in raw meat products are difficult, curing and smoking are not recommended for Trichinella control. The objective of this study was to investigate the survival of T. spiralis in cured raw sausages taking into account water activity (a w -value), pH value, temperature, and time. For this purpose, four different types of sausage (Knackwurst, vacuum packed Knackwurst, short ripened salami, long ripened salami) were produced using T. spiralis infested batter. After production, the sausages were stored at product specific conditions for up to 35 days. During storage, pH value and a w -value of the sausages were monitored over time. Further, sausages of each type were digested using the magnetic stirrer method and the viability of the isolated larvae was assessed using a previously published larval motility test as a proxy for viability and infectivity of Trichinella larvae. In this context, we also introduce a three-level rated infectivity score (RIS) with a clear categorization scheme allowing the assessment of the infectivity of larvae. Based on the RIS, larvae isolated from the salamis were regarded as potentially infective until day 2 (short ripened salami) or day 3 (long ripened salami) post ripening, whereas in Knackwurst, potentially infective larvae were still found by day 8 post ripening. In contrast potentially infective larvae were detected in vacuum-packed Knackwurst until day 24 post ripening. Finally, using the RIS approach, data from previously published studies were collected and subjected to a correlation analysis to identify matrix factors linked to short Trichinella inactivation times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Infective Trichinella spiralis larvae found in raw sausages 13 days post production. • Inactivation of larvae is influenced by the type of packaging. • Three-level rated infectivity score as proxy for larval infectivity is introduced. Processing of meat is one possible approach to control meat-borne parasites. Processing methods such as freezing, cooking and irradiation are recommended for the control of Trichinella in pork, horse or game meat if specific technical conditions are fulfilled. Curing is a widely used preservation process influencing product characteristics such as shelf life, food safety, and taste. As curing methods are characterized by high parameter variability and predictions about inactivation of parasitic stages in raw meat products are difficult, curing and smoking are not recommended for Trichinella control. The objective of this study was to investigate the survival of T. spiralis in cured raw sausages taking into account water activity (a w -value), pH value, temperature, and time. For this purpose, four different types of sausage (Knackwurst, vacuum packed Knackwurst, short ripened salami, long ripened salami) were produced using T. spiralis infested batter. After production, the sausages were stored at product specific conditions for up to 35 days. During storage, pH value and a w -value of the sausages were monitored over time. Further, sausages of each type were digested using the magnetic stirrer method and the viability of the isolated larvae was assessed using a previously published larval motility test as a proxy for viability and infectivity of Trichinella larvae. In this context, we also introduce a three-level rated infectivity score (RIS) with a clear categorization scheme allowing the assessment of the infectivity of larvae. Based on the RIS, larvae isolated from the salamis were regarded as potentially infective until day 2 (short ripened salami) or day 3 (long ripened salami) post ripening, whereas in Knackwurst, potentially infective larvae were still found by day 8 post ripening. In contrast potentially infective larvae were detected in vacuum-packed Knackwurst until day 24 post ripening. Finally, using the RIS approach, data from previously published studies were collected and subjected to a correlation analysis to identify matrix factors linked to short Trichinella inactivation times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2002, Alaria (A.) alata mesocercariae (AM) have been found during routine Trichinella inspection of wild boars in many European countries. To date, human infection with AM through consumption of undercooked or raw AM infested wild boar meat cannot be excluded. In Germany, data on the parasite's prevalence in wild boars are scarce. To better understand temporal and spatial fluctuations of this parasite, this study investigated the prevalence of AM in wild boars in the German federal state of Brandenburg during three hunting seasons from 2017 to 2020. In total, 28.3% (100/354, 95% CI: 23.3–33.3%) of all wild boars sampled in eight counties of Brandenburg were tested positive for AM by Alaria alata mesocercariae migration technique (AMT). AM were detected in wild boars from seven different counties. Samples from one county (Havelland) tested completely negative for AM (0/16). Prevalences of the seven AM positive counties of Brandenburg ranged from 11.5 (3/26, 95% CI: 2.5–30.1%) in Märkisch-Oderland to 64.1% (25/39, 95% CI: 47.2–78.8%) in Uckermark. An association between sex and A. alata positivity could not be determined. A statistically significant increase in frequency of older AM positive wild boars was observed (p = 0.001). For a nationwide assessment of the prevalence of A. alata in wild boars and the risk for consumers of ingesting viable AM by consumption of raw or undercooked AM infested wild boar meat, further long-term studies in different regions of Germany are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure that meat from livestock and game is safe for human consumption, European legislation lays down rules for mandatory testing. Helminth larvae are a category of zoonotic foodborne pathogens that can contaminate meat. Among helminths, the only zoonotic nematode regulated in Europe regarding meat inspection is Trichinella spp.. It is precisely during Trichinella testing that other potentially zoonotic larvae can be found. Due to current lack of tools, their identification is often very complicated. Nematode larvae other than Trichinella, recovered from artificial digestions of pig and wild boar muscles from France and Germany, were subjected to a newly developed two-step identification scheme, which includes both morphological examination and molecular assays. The first step is a general orientation towards a broad taxonomic group; the second step consists of targeted identification based on the results of first step. Different parasites were identified, some of which were not zoonotic such as Metastrongylus spp. and Angiostrongylus vasorum, but others are known to be zoonotic such as Toxocara cati, Ascaris suum, and Uncinaria stenocephala. The strategy is efficient for the identification of nematode larvae recovered from muscles but could also be applied for larvae from other sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption of game in Germany has increased during the past 10 years. Wild boar (Sus scrofa), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Cervus elaphus) are the most frequently hunted and consumed game animals in Germany, yet information on the occurrence of zoonotic pathogens in these animal species is scarce. To better estimate the public health risk emanating from handling and consumption of game, this study investigated seroprevalences of Toxoplasma gondii in game hunted in the German federal state of Brandenburg during two hunting seasons from 2017 to 2019. Toxoplasma gondii‐specific antibodies were detected in 24.4% (44/180, 95% CI: 18.4%–31.4%) of wild boar, 12.8% (16/125, 95% CI: 7.5%–20%) of roe deer and 6.4% (3/47, 95% CI: 1.3%–17.5%) of red deer using a commercial ELISA kit. Seroprevalences were similar in the two hunting seasons. Correlation between sex and seropositivity could not be observed. A rise in seroprevalence was seen with increasing age in all studied game species. Observed seroprevalences suggest that T. gondii is endemic in the sylvatic environment in the German federal state of Brandenburg and imply that game could represent a relevant source for human T. gondii infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]