Worldwide Occurrence and Impact of Human Trichinellosis, 1986-2009.

TRICHINOSIS; CHRONIC diseases; FATIGUE (Physiology); INFLUENZA; HUMAN behavior

To assess the global incidence and clinical effects of human trichinellosis, we analyzed outbreak report data for 1986-2009. Searches of 6 international databases yielded 494 reports. After applying strict criteria for relevance and reliability, we selected 261 reports for data extraction. From 1986 through 2009, there were 65,818 cases and 42 deaths reported from 41 countries. The World Health Organization European Region accounted for 87% of cases; 50% of those occurred in Romania, mainly during 1990-1999. Incidence in the region ranged from 1.1 to 8.5 cases per 100,000 population. Trichinellosis affected primarily adults (median age 33.1 years) and about equally affected men (51%) and women. Major clinical effects, according to 5,377 well-described cases, were myalgia, diarrhea, fever, facial edema, and headaches. Pork was the major source of infection; wild game sources were also frequently reported. These data will be valuable for estimating the illness worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Emerging Infectious Diseases is the property of Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)