Abstract

Objective: To analyze the prevalence of Alaria sp. mesocercariae in slaughter pigs in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Methods: From December 2012 to March 2013, 621 carcasses of slaughter pigs originating from nine Vietnamese provinces (69 carcasses per province) bordering the Mekong Delta were tested for the presence of Alaria alata mesocercariae. From each carcass, 30 g tissue (a mix of peritoneal fat and cheek tissue) were examined using the Alaria-migration-technique. Animals originated from traditional farming with free access of pigs to water/wetlands. Fattening pigs (5.5-7.5 months of age, 84% males) constituted 97.1% of the sample set, whereas sows>26 months accounted for 2.9%. Results: All samples tested were negative for motile mesocercariae. Conclusions: Results indicate that the actual prevalence of this parasite will not exceed 5% (α=0.05) in pigs from the study area. Further studies could elucidate if this is due to (unapproved) antimollusc and antiparasitic treatment in the study area or if the parasite is absent in the wildlife at all.

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