RESUMO
@#The zoonotic nematode, Trichinella papuae, was first discovered in wild and domestic pigs in the Bensbach area, Morehead District, Western Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 1988. 15 years later, T. papuae was found in wild pigs and captive crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) in the Kikori area, Gulf Province of PNG. An overall prevalence of anti-Trichinella IgG was detected in 10% (0.0%-36.7%) of 1536 villagers living in Morehead District by using an ELISA as screening test and a Western blot as confirmatory test. No anti-Trichinella IgG antibodies were detected in 313 villagers living in the Kikori District in spite of the fact that T. papuae was circulating in wild pigs in the district. These results may reflect the different methods of cooking in the two districts. Specific symptoms typical of trichinellosis were not reported by serologically positive persons living in Morehead District, although some non-pathognomonic symptoms, common to trichinellosis and other ailments, were noted. In Thailand, trichinellosis caused by T. papuae was attributed to the custom of eating large quantities of raw pig meat, a food behaviour not found in people living in Morehead and Kikori Districts. This fact probably accounts for the lack of pathognomonic symptoms of trichinellosis in serologically positive people of Morehead District, although they, as well as the Kikori people, occasionally eat tidbits of raw pork sufficient, in the case of the Morehead people, to develop an immune response. The importance of consumer education to eat only thoroughly cooked meat in the localities where T. papuae is circulating is emphasized.