{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,19]],"date-time":"2026-06-19T15:01:26Z","timestamp":1781881286645,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,14]],"date-time":"2026-02-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771027200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The prevention of trichinellosis is one of the most important tasks of the public veterinary services. In most EU countries, mandatory testing for parasites of the genus Trichinella includes domestic pigs as well as game species such as wild boar and bears. In Croatia, hunters occasionally also submit badger (Meles meles) meat for Trichinella testing. In addition to the samples from the genus Meles, samples from two other genera within the same family, Martes and Mustela, were analysed. These specimens were most frequently delivered to the laboratory, as roadkill, within a passive surveillance program for the rabies virus. During a 14-year study period, muscle samples from 40 badgers (M. meles), 11 martens (M. foina) and from one polecat (M. putorius) were examined using the artificial digestion method. Trichinella infection was confirmed in four badgers (10%) and one marten (9.1%). Molecular identification by multiplex PCR revealed T. spiralis and T. britovi in two badger specimens, while T. pseudospiralis was identified in a stone marten. Further genetic analysis of the T. pseudospiralis isolate demonstrated its belonging to the Palaearctic population. This study evaluates the epidemiological significance of these findings in relation to trichinellosis, the most important foodborne parasitosis in Croatia, and emphasizes the need for further epidemiological studies in the country targeting both Mustelidae and T. pseudospiralis in the sylvatic cycle of Trichinella.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16040603","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,16]],"date-time":"2026-02-16T14:09:54Z","timestamp":1771250994000},"page":"603","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["First Detection of Trichinella pseudospiralis in the Genus Martes Within a Croatian Mustelid Survey"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7515-0092","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Davor","family":"Bali\u0107","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Croatian Veterinary Institute, Department Vinkovci, Laboratory for Diagnostic-National Reference Laboratory for Parasites (Genus <i>Trichinella<\/i>), J. Kozarca 24, 32100 Vinkovci, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marija","family":"Krajina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Croatian Veterinary Institute, Department Vinkovci, Laboratory for Diagnostic-National Reference Laboratory for Parasites (Genus <i>Trichinella<\/i>), J. Kozarca 24, 32100 Vinkovci, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1857-7062","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gianluca","family":"Marucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Superiore di Sanit\u00e0, European Union Reference Laboratory for Parasites, V. Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-5879-1257","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Irene","family":"Tartarelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Superiore di Sanit\u00e0, European Union Reference Laboratory for Parasites, V. Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hrvoje","family":"Krajina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Croatian Veterinary Institute, Department Vinkovci, Laboratory for Microbiology and Analytical Chemistry, J. Kozarca 24, 32100 Vinkovci, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucija","family":"Stupar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Veterinary and Food Safety Directorate, Planinska 2a, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Bali\u0107, D., Kure\u010di\u0107 Filipovi\u0107, S., Mlinari\u0107, I., Ili\u0107, M., Maji\u0107, A., and Pem-Novosel, I. (2023). Human trichinellosis in Croatia: A review of the last 16 years. Program and Abstract Book, 16th International Conference on Trichinellosis, Belgrade, Serbia, 30 August\u20131 September 2023, Narodna biblioteka Srbije."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"EFSA and ECDC (European Food Safety Authority and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) (2024). 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