Prevalence of Trichinella spp. antibodies in wild boars (Sus scrofa) and domestic pigs in Korea

Trichinellosis is a parasitic zoonosis that is of importance to public health; human trichinellosis usually occurs when improperly cooked pork or wild animal meat is consumed. The purpose of this study was to determine the nationwide seroprevalence of Trichinella infection in wild boar and domestic pig populations in Korea. Using ELISA, we detected no seropositivity among the serum samples of 2350 domestic pigs collected in 2013, indicating that the domestic cycles of Trichinella spp. have disappeared from the domestic pig population in Korea. In contrast, approximately 13% of the 434 wild boars hunted in 2013 were seropositive. Furthermore, the seroprevalence of six of the seven provinces was between 6.7% and 18.3%, indicating that Trichinella infection occurred in the wild boar population throughout the country. The results of this study suggest that Trichinella circulates in the wild boar population and could be transmitted from infected wild boars to other wildlife, domestic pigs, and humans in Korea. Therefore, we recommend continued surveillance of Trichinella infection prevalence in wild animals and an appropriate strategy to prevent human infection in Korea.