Decade of progress: Declining trichinellosis rates in Serbia and the role of the National Reference Laboratory in control and research
(naslov ne postoji na srpskom)
aUniverzitet u Beogradu, Institut za primenu nuklearne energije - INEP, Srbija bInstitut za javno zdravlje Srbije 'Dr Milan Jovanović Batut', Beograd, Srbija
Projekat: Ministarstvo nauke, tehnološkog razvoja i inovacija Republike Srbije (institucija: Univerzitet u Beogradu, Institut za primenu nuklearne energije - INEP) (MPNTR - 451-03-68/2020-14/200019)
Sažetak
(ne postoji na srpskom)
Trichinellosis, a mandatory reportable disease, remains a persistent zoonosis in Serbia due to regulatory violations, inadequate pork inspection, and insufficient awareness of health risks. Nonetheless, epidemiological data from the past decade (2014-2023) show a significant downward trend in Trichinella infection among the population, with the number of cases in the last five years being three times lower than in the previous five years. Over this ten-year period (except 2021) there have been 489 trichinellosis cases. Among these, 26% of serum samples were analyzed by the NRLT-INEP, with 113 (90%) confirmed positive for anti-Trichinella antibodies. Serum samples were also sent to NRLT-INEP for confirmatory testing using Western blot (Wb) when routine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) tests failed to provide an unequivocal result. During this period, Wb was performed in 14 cases (11%) due to discrepancies between IFA and ELISA results. In addition to its role in definitive serodiagnosis of Trichinella infection for patients, the NRLT has made several national contributions by evaluating the immune response in the first recognized trichinellosis outbreak in Serbia caused by Trichinella britovi; showing that specific anti-Trichinella spiralis antibodies can persist in individuals for 13 and 18 years after infection; monitoring humoral and cellular immune responses to both the SARS-CoV-2 virus and Trichinella spiralis in patients with trichinellosis during the COVID-19 pandemic; demonstrating that applying the One Health concept in Serbia has improved infection control and reduced disease incidence in humans. Internationally, the NRLT collaborates with EU reference laboratories, participating in follow-up investigations of trichinellosis cases and in workshops and PT schemes organized by EURLP, ISS in Rome, Italy.
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