Is human trichinellosis an emerging zoonosis in the European community?

The incidence of trichinellosis outbreaks seems to increase regularly in th e European Union. These outbreaks (at least 36 reported by journals indexed in MEDLINE) involved several thousands of patients and were due to the con sumption of imported horse meat (urban outbreaks), of wild boar meat (famil ies of hunters), of pork (pigs bred in small farms). The emergence of the d isease can be explained by a better knowledge of the disease (formerly misd iagnosed for flue), explosion of wild boars populations, modifications of c onsumers' habits, importation of horses from countries where trichinellosis is endemic, failure of the veterinary control to detect infected animals. A. regular surveillance of trichinellosis cases in the EU is important to j udge the evolution of the disease.