THE INVESTIGATIONS OF WILDES RATS FOR TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS INFECTION IN SZCZECIN
BY
JAN GOLBA, ANIELA OGOŃSKA, HILDEGARDA WINNICZEK, TERESA SZTABA Sanitary and Epidemiological Station in Szczecin, Poland
From 1957 up to the end of 1959 the authors have investigated 1.647 of wildes rats for Trichinella spiralis infections.
The examinated rats were brought from the whole province of Szczecin. But special attention has been payed to the rats from the area of sea-ports, slaughter- -houses, food stores and food factories.
Most of examinated for Trichinella spiralis rats belonged to the Rattus norve- gicus species, namely 1.591, whilest to the Rattus rattus species belonged only 56.
From 1.647 rats which were investigated for Trichinella spiralis the parasite has been discovered only in one case. The infected rat was that of Rattus norvegicus species and was caught on a court-yard of one of a food canning maunfactory, situated near area of the sea-port of Szczecin.
The method employed in examinations was that of direct trichinoscopy and the parasites were searched in the diaphragm and in the intercostal muscles of the rats.
Such extremely low rate of infected rats in ours experiments corresponds also to the extremely rare cases of trichinellosis in the community of Szczecin province.
