The sample can be delivered from 8:00am – 5:00pm.
This information is about samples from wild boar and domestic pigs, for samples from solipeds (e.g. horses), bears, carnivorous terrestrial and marine mammals (e.g. walrus), reptiles or scavenging birds please consult us.
What samples should I take? The pillars of the diaphragm, the base of the tongue and the lower part of the foreleg are the most important samples to take, at least 10g. Additionally we can also provide other samples such as masseter (cheek) or intercostal muscles. In no case shall viscera such as liver, spleen or kidneys or fat be submitted for analysis.
– Important to consider when collecting the sample for analysis
- The minimum weight of the sample must be 100g per animal.
- Remember to always label the sample from different animals separately.
- Neither fat nor liver is used as a sample. Enter the sample free of fascial remains.
- In case they cannot be delivered the same day they are taken, keep them in refrigeration.
– Basic rules of hygiene when handling game meat
- Use gloves for skinning, evisceration and, in general, for handling the animals.
- Proceed to the evisceration of the game as soon as possible.
- Clean and reject haemorrhagic parts affected by shooting.
- Before a carcass with a strange appearance, consult a veterinarian before consuming it.
- Hygiene in the evisceration and manipulation of the carcass.
- Do not leave animal remains lying in the field as they can be consumed by other wild boars and maintain the parasitism.
- Control of viscera and waste; avoid consumption by dogs or cats.
- Have adequate facilities for the preparation of the pieces (possibility of hanging the animals, access to drinking water and electricity, construction with easily washable materials, etc).
- Take the samples to the laboratory and wait for the results.
The results are delivered within 24-48 hours.
Trichinosis is a parasitic disease that affects humans and numerous host species, mainly wild and domestic mammals, produced by various species of the genus Trichinella. In Spain, the species usually identified are T. spiralis, T. britovi and the recently emerged (since 2014) T. pseudospiralis.
The main source of infection for humans is raw or insufficiently cooked meat and meat products from infected wild boar or pigs. There are other animals that can act as reservoirs of the disease, such as dogs, cats, rats, horses and wild animals such as foxes, wolves, bears, etc.
When a person eats meat from an infected animal, Trichinella cysts incubate in the intestines and grow into adult nematodes. These nematodes produce larvae that migrate through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. The larvae invade muscle tissues, including the heart and diaphragm, which is the breathing muscle under the lungs. They can also affect the lungs themselves and the brain. The cysts remain alive for years.
The analysis by the digestion method of the boar sample releases the larvae in case they are present in the boar.
The biological cycle of Trichinella would be as follows:
