PARASITES ASSOCIATED WITH PORK AND PORK PRODUCTS

Three parasites pose a public health risk from the ingestion of raw or undercooked pork, namely: Trichinella spiralis, Taenia solium and Tox oplasma gondii. Inspection procedures, when practised according to pre scribed methods, are effective in eliminating the majority of risks fr om T. spiralis and T. solium. No suitable methods for the post-slaught er detection of T. gondii are available. All three parasites are inact ivated by various methods of cooking, freezing and curing; some inform ation is also available on inactivation by irradiation. Good productio n practices, including a high level of sanitation, rodent and cat cont rol on farms, can prevent opportunities for exposure of pigs to these parasites. Alternatively, meat inspection, proper commercial processin g and adherence to guidelines for in-home preparation of meat are effe ctive methods for reduction of risks for human exposure.