THE MARKETING OF CYSTICERCOTIC PIGS IN THE SIERRA OF PERU

In Peru pork supplied through regulated slaughterhouses is primarily r estricted to the large cities on the coast. Approximately 65% of the p ork consumed in the country is obtained through informal channels that are not inspected or supervised. The pathways via which pigs are comm ercialized were studied in Huancayo, a city in the Peruvian Sierra whe re cysticercosis is endemic. Official purchase, slaughter, and market records were reviewed. Also, direct surveys and participant observatio n were carried out at two local live pig markets and at two informal m eat markets. Pigs were not processed in local slaughterhouses; instead , they were butchered informally. The proportion of cysticercotic pigs detected by tongue examination ranged from 14% to 25% of the total so ld. Since cysticercotic pigs and pork are sold through informal market s, surveys of abattoirs and meat markets are not a reliable way to mon itor the prevalence of porcine cysticercosis in Peru. We estimate that 48% of the pork traded informally and 23% of the total pork consumed in Huancayo is derived from pigs that are infected with cysticercosis.