Trichinella spp larvae in muscles of 18 species of terrestrial and marine mammals collected from Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut and Northwest Territories in northern Canada, between 2006 and 2010

This project was designed to collect baseline information on the occurrence and distribution of Trichinella spp. in Arctic wildlife with emphasis on animals traditionally harvested for food by Canadian Inuit and northern Aboriginal groups. In cases where mulitple muscle samples from a large number of individul animals of the same species were available, additional testing was planned to determine species-specific preferred muscle sites (predilection sites) for localization of Trichinella larvae, as this is important in the design of sensitive and cost-effective sampling strategies. A major purpose for the study was to provide information to Public Health Agencies in the North for risk analysis, regulatory planning and public education in support of food safety initiatives.