EXPOSURE OF SWINE TO TRICHINELLA-SPIRALIS ANTIGEN AS DETERMINED BY CONSECUTIVE ELISAS AND WESTERN-BLOT

Exposure of swine to Trichinella spiralis was evaluated using a combin ation of 3 consecutive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) bas ed on larval T. spiralis excretory-secretory antigen as screening test and western blot analysis as confirmatory test. Ninety-three of 32,69 3 domestic swine sera collected in Georgia over a 5-yr period containe d antibodies specific to T, spiralis (prevalence of exposure = 0.28%). The highest prevalence (0.52%) of exposure to T. spiralis was in samp les from stockyards and salebarns. Prevalence of exposure in samples f rom cull sows from 1 slaughter house was 0.38% compared with 0.17% in samples obtained from farms. Pepsin-HCl digestion of diaphragms from 4 9 swine from 6 seropositive farms revealed 0.01 larve/g in 4 swine fro m 3 farms. Determination of T. spiralis infection status of farms appe ars to be accurately determined with this combination of exploratory E LISAs and confirmatory western blot analysis.