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This project will collect fox carcasses from around Great Britain and test for Trichinella as an indicator species for the risk to pigs.
<p>Approximately 700 foxes will be collected from around Great Britain and tested for Trichinella.
<ul><li>Meat of domestic swine, wild boar, horses and other animal species may be infested with nematodes of the genus Trichinella. Consumption of meat infested with Trichinella can cause serious disease in humans.
<li>EU Regulation 2075/2005, which comes into force in January 2006, requires swine to be tested for Trichinella at slaughterhouses. However, the regulation states that pig holdings can be declared Trichinella free if a surveillance programme of wildlife susceptible to Trichinella is in existence and prevalence in the indicator wildlife species is below 0.5%.
<li>Research is required to obtain an estimated prevalence level (with 95% confidence limits) of Trichinella infection in Great Britain. It is also of interest to find out if the prevalence level is significantly lower than any European countries where Trichinella is known to be endemic in wildlife: e.g. France 1.7%, Poland 2.3-5.7%.
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<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food
Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.