Trichinella britovi and Trichinella spiralis mixed infection in a horse from Poland

Trichinella infections in horses continue to represent a health problem and, despite the rarity of infection, it is necessary to continue to control properly horse meat. In 2008, a 10-year-old horse imported from Poland to Italy for consumption found to have been positive at the digestion test. Both Trichinella britovi and Trichinella spiralis larvae in a proportion of 4:1 were detected in the horse muscles. This is the first report of a mixed Trichinella species infection in a horse. The epidemiological investigation revealed that the infected horse originated from a small farm about 120 km from Warsaw and the horse owner had bought the horse at a horse market. The findings suggest that the horse was fed more than once with infected meat. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.