Table 1.
Dog serum samples tested by ELISA and Western blot to detect anti-Trichinella spp. IgG and by ELISA to detect anti-Toxocara canis IgG
| Animal origin | Trichinella spp. | Toxocara canis | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELISA positive/tested (%) | Western blot positive/ELISA positive (%) | ELISA positive/tested (%) | |
| Assay validation study | |||
| Trichinella spp. positive controls | |||
| Stray dogsa | 8/8a | 8/8 | 8/8 |
| Farm dogsb | 7/7 | 7/7 | 7/7 |
| Laboratory silver foxesc | 6/6 | 6/6 | 6/6 |
| Trichinella spp. negative controls | |||
| Laboratory dogsd | 16/523 (3) | 0/16 | 140/523 (26.7) |
| Helminth (≠ Trichinella) -infected dogse | 10/75 (13.3) | 0/10 | 72/75 (96.0) |
| Total | 47/619 (7.6) | 21/47 (44.7) | 233/619 (37.6) |
| Field study | |||
| Hunting dogsf | 189/384 (49.2) | 56/189 (29.6) | 372/384 (96.8) |
a Stray dogs from Serbia and b mongrel dogs from a farm in Hungary, which tested positive for larvae of Trichinella spp. by digestion; c foxes (Vulpes vulpes) experimentally infected with larvae of T. spiralis, kindly provided by Dr. Karsten Nöckler, Germany, and Dr. Rebecca K. Davidson, Norway; d 480 beagles and 43 of other breeds; e 62 dogs infected with ancylostomatid nematodes, and/or Diphylidium caninum, and/or Toxocara canis, from Apulia, an Italian region where Trichinella spp. have never been documented [15], four helminth (≠ Trichinella)-infected mongrel dogs from Serbia and Hungary which tested negative for Trichinella infection by artificial digestion, and nine owned dogs infected by Dirofilaria immitis from Emilia Romagna, an Italian region where Trichinella spp. circulate, which tested negative for Trichinella by ELISA; f wild boar hunting dogs of different breeds: shorthaired Italian hound, mongrel dog, grand bleu de Gascoigne, posavac hound, beagle, dachsbracke, Breton, and border collie