TRICHINOSIS - 5-YEAR SEROLOGIC AND CLINICAL FOLLOW-UP

A clinical, serologic, and skin test follow-up of 75 individuals involved in an outbreak of trichinosis five years earlier was done to determine the persistence of positive reactions to trichinosis tests and to determine whether any significant clinical sequelae follow an acute trichinosis infection. In the absence of significant reexposure, one of 41 patients with a positive bentonite ftocculation test in 1963 had a positive test in 1968, and comparably none of 38 were positive by the NCDC latex agglutination test. Seven persons had a positive charcoal flocculation test in 1968 compared with 39 in 1963. Similarly 15 were skin test positive in 1968 and 45 in 1963. We conclude that the serologic tests are more useful for detecting recent trichinosis infections and the skin test for detecting remote trichinosis infections. With the exception of one case, the review of clinical histories did not reveal any chronic sequelae to trichinosis. © 1969 by The Johns Hopkins University.