Delection of Swine Cysticercosis among Adult Pigs Imported from Korea

Abstract

Swine cysticercosis is widely distributed in China, Okinawa (Ryukyu), Korea, India, and other districts, but it has not been reported to occur in Japan.
Import of live domestic animals from Korea had been prohibited by law until August, 1963, when the prohibition was removed. About 6, 000 pigs were imported curing a period from December, 1963, to September, 1964, and slaughtered at Omiya, Yokohama, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Osaka slaughterhouses. Of 1, 518 pigs slaughtered at the Omiya Slaughterhouse in Saitama Prefecture, 19 were found infested with pork measles.
The results of postmortem inspection are as follows.
1. Swine cysticercosis was found in 1.25%. All the infected pork was condemned.
2. Swine cysticerci were found most frequently in the muscles, but less frequently in the visceral organs.
3. The worm vesicles ranged from 5 to 19 mm in length and from 3.0 to 9.9 mm in width, being most frequently 7 to 12.9 mm and 4 to 7.9 mm, respectively.
4. The number of rostellar hooks varied from 17 to 30, most frequently from 24 to 30. The hooks in odd numbers, though occurring in small numbers, were ascribed to the number of shorter hooks. The longer hooks ranged from 132 to 167 microns in length. The ratio by length of the shorter to the longer hooks varied from 0.60 to 0.84.
5. In the postmortem examination of 4 dogs artificially infected with worm vesicles 2 months before, no adult tapeworms were found.
6. Close postmortem inspection should be made on hogs imported from infected areas, especially of such portions as the tongue, heart, diaphragm, mediastinum, and muscles of head, neck, abdomen, and haunch.