CONCLUSIONS: According to the European Community Regulation No. 2075/2005, a risk-based program should be implemented in those areas where wildlife and pig holdings applying for Trichinella-free status coexist, or for region where the risk of Trichinella in domestic swine is officially recognised as negligible. Trichinella nematode species are primarily parasites of wildlife which can transmit the infection to pigs intended for human consumption, acting as reservoir of the parasite. Since not all mammals play the same role for the different Trichinella species, the selection of the target animals for epidemiological surveillance is of utmost importance. This document provides indications on the most suitable wild animals to be targeted for epidemiological surveillance according to the four Trichinella species circulating in Europe, together with technical specifications on the muscles of choice and their amount to be analysed for each host species considered.

CONCLUSIONS: The European Community Regulation (EC) No. 2075/2005 lays down specific rules on official controls for the detection of Trichinella in fresh meat for human consumption, recommending the pooled-sample digestion method as the reference method. The aim of this document is to provide specific guidance to implement an appropriate Trichinella digestion method by a laboratory accredited according to the ISO/IEC 17025:2005 international standard, and performing microbiological testing following the EA-04/10:2002 international guideline. Technical requirements for the correct implementation of the method, such as the personnel competence, specific equipments and reagents, validation of the method, reference materials, sampling, quality assurance of results and quality control of performance are provided, pointing out the critical control points for the correct implementation of the digestion method.