FALSE-POSITIVE TRICHURIS-SUIS EGG COUNTS IN PIGS IN RELATION TO COPROPHAGIA

Sixteen non-infected control pigs housed together with 16 pigs infecte d with Trichuris suis, excreted T. suis eggs in their faeces (range 20 -4,960 eggs per gram faeces (EPG)). When the control pigs were moved t o clean pens, their egg counts dropped to zero EPG within five days. A significant correlation was found between T. suis egg counts of infec ted and control pigs penned together (r = 0.89, P < 0.001). These resu lts suggest that false-positive faecal egg counts may be the result of coprophagia.