Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T19:39:55.540Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Human trichinellosis caused by Trichinella britovi in Greece, and literature review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 February 2019

D. Dimzas ,
A. Diakou Open the ORCID record for A. Diakou [Opens in a new window] ,
C. Koutras ,
M.A. Gómez Morales ,
D. Psalla ,
P. Keryttopoulos ,
D. Deligianni ,
K. Kontotasios  and
Edoardo Pozio
D. Dimzas
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
A. Diakou*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
C. Koutras
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital of Veria, Veria, Greece
M.A. Gómez Morales
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
D. Psalla
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Pathology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
P. Keryttopoulos
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital of Veria, Veria, Greece
D. Deligianni
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital of Veria, Veria, Greece
K. Kontotasios
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, General Hospital of Veria, Veria, Greece
Edoardo Pozio
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
*
Author for correspondence: A. Diakou, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Trichinellosis is a cosmopolitan zoonotic parasitic disease caused by the nematodes of the genus Trichinella, through the consumption of raw or semi-raw infected meat from swine, horses and wild animals. This disease has been sporadically reported in Greece since 1946. The aim of the present study was to describe a trichinellosis case in a patient hospitalized in northern Greece, in 2017. A 47-year-old male was admitted to hospital with intense generalized myalgia, periorbital swelling, fever, exhaustion and anorexia. Biochemical and haematological profile showed eosinophilia and elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK). Anti-Trichinella spp. IgG and IgM antibodies were detected by serology and Trichinella spp. larvae were found in two muscle biopsies by compressorium and histological examination. A larva collected from the muscle biopsy was identified as Trichinella britovi by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Albendazole (400 mg twice per day × 10 days) was administered and the clinical condition of the patient promptly improved. This is the first identification of T. britovi in a patient in Greece.

Keywords

DiagnosisGreecepublic healthTrichinella britovitrichinellosis
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 94 , 2020 , e33
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Akkoc, N et al. (2009) A large-scale outbreak of trichinellosis caused by Trichinella britovi in Turkey. Zoonoses and Public Health 56, 65–70.Google Scholar
Boutsini, S et al. (2014) Emerging Trichinella britovi infections in free ranging pigs of Greece. Veterinary Parasitology 199, 278–282.Google Scholar
Daoudaki, M et al. (2009) Vaccination with Trichinella spirallis antigens increases CD8+ peripheral T cells and enhances the Th2 immune response in Leishmania infantum challenged mice. International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology 22, 169–174.Google Scholar
European Commission (2015) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1375 of 10 August 2015 laying down specific rules on official controls for Trichinella in meat. Official Journal of the European Union 212, 7–34.Google Scholar
European Food Safety Authority (2018) The European Union summary report on trends and sources of zoonoses, zoonotic agents and food-borne outbreaks in 2017. EFSA Journal 16, 5500.Google Scholar
Feldmeier, H, Fischer, H and Blaumeiser, G (1987) Kinetics of humoral response during the acute and the convalescent phase of human trichinosis. Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Mikrobiologie und Hygiene 264, 221–234.Google Scholar
Gamble, HR et al. (2000) International Commission on Trichinellosis: recommendations on methods for the control of Trichinella in domestic and wild animals intended for human consumption. Veterinary Parasitology 93, 393-408.Google Scholar
Gottstein, B, Pozio, E and Nöckler, K (2009) Epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and control of trichinellosis. Clinical Microbiology Reviews 22, 127–145.Google Scholar
Hantzos, P (1968) One case of laryngeal carcinoma associated with trichinosis. Hellenic Armed Forces Medical Review 2, 321–324.Google Scholar
Himonas, CA (1971) The present status of human trichinosis in Greece. Journal of Parasitology 57, 1368–1369.Google Scholar
Himonas, CA (1979) Report on Trichinella spiralis status in Greece. Wiadomości Parazytologiczne 25, 596–597.Google Scholar
International Commission on Trichinellosis (2018) Recommendations on the use of serological tests for the detection of Trichinella infection in animals and humans. http://trichinellosis.org/uploads/ICT (accessed 22 November 2018).Google Scholar
Livieratos, S, Danopoulos, E and Logothetopoulos, I (1948) The first outbreak of trichinellosis in Greece: study of the disease. Helleniki Iatriki 17, 681–710.Google Scholar
Murrell, KD and Pozio, E (2011) Worldwide occurrence and impact of human trichinellosis, 1986–2009. Emerging Infectious Diseases 17, 2194–2202.Google Scholar
Papadakis, AM (1966) Les parasitoses et les salmonelloses en Grèce. Archives de l' Union Médicale Balkanique 4, 189–193.Google Scholar
Papatsiros, VG et al. (2012) Detection and zoonotic potential of Trichinella spp. from free-range pig farming in Greece. Foodborne Pathogens and Disease 9, 536–540.Google Scholar
Pozio, E and Bruschi, F (2018) Trichinella. In Liu, D (ed.), Handbook of Foodborne Diseases. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, pp. 887–898.Google Scholar
Pozio, E and Darwin Murrell, K (2006) Systematics and epidemiology of Trichinella. Advances in Parasitology 63, 367–439.Google Scholar
Pozio, E and La Rosa, G (2003) PCR-derived methods for the identification of Trichinella parasites from animal and human samples. Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.) 216, 299–309.Google Scholar
Pozio, E and Zarlenga, DS (2013) New pieces of the Trichinella puzzle. International Journal for Parasitology 43, 983–997.Google Scholar
Pozio, E et al. (1992) Taxonomic revision of the genus Trichinella. The Journal of Parasitology 78, 654–659.Google Scholar
Sotiraki, ST et al. (2001) Trichinellosis in Greece: a review. Parasite 8, S83–S85.Google Scholar
Touloudi, A et al. (2015) A serosurvey for selected pathogens in Greek European wild boar. Veterinary Record Open 2. doi: 10.1136/vetreco-2014-000077Google Scholar
Vouyoukas, A et al. (1982) An outbreak of trichinellosis in Chalkidiki, northern Greece. Helliniki Iatriki 48, 343–348.Google Scholar