Studies on the Helminth Fauna of Alaska. XXVII. The Occurrence of Larvae of Trichinella spiralis in Alaskan Mammals

In 1948 much interest in trichinosis in arctic regions was aroused, particularly by the findings of Thorborg et al. (1948), who investigated serious outbreaks occurring among the Eskimo of West Greenland during 1947. Consequently, with the founding of the Arctic Health Research Center in the autumn of 1948, a study of trichinosis in Alaska was the first project to be initiated by the Zoonotic Disease Section (formerly Animal-borne Disease Section) of this Center. Field work was begun in January, 1949, and a preliminary note on trichinosis in Alaskan mammals was published by Brandly and Rausch (1950). The subject of trichinosis in arctic regions was reviewed by Connell (1949). The survey to determine the prevalence of T. spiralis in mammals in Alaska was terminated in the spring of 1953; this paper reports the results of this work.