Two direct methods for the diagnosis of trichinellosis were compared: trichinoscopy and artificial digestion. Muscles from 35 Wistar rats infected per os with different inocula (10, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 encysted larvae) of Trichinella spiralis were examined. The following muscles: diaphragm, tongue, masseters, intercostals, triceps brachialis and cuadriceps femoralis, were revised by trichinoscopy and all the samples were then processed by artificial digestion. 472.276 muscular larvae were recovered. The linear correlation between trichinoscopy and artificial digestion was very high and significant (r=0.69; p<0.01; F=1.33; d.f.=1/418; P=0.248; p>0.05) showing that both methods for the detection of muscular larvae did not differ significantly, even in infected rats with lower number of larvae.

Se compararon dos métodos de diagnóstico de Trichinellosis: triquinoscopía y digestión artificial. Se examinaron los músculos de 35 ratas Wistar infectadas per os con inóculos (10, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 larvas enquistadas) de Trichinella spiralis. Se revisaron por triquinoscopía los siguientes músculos: diafragma, lengua, maseteros, intercostales, triceps brachialis y cuadriceps femoralis; y todas las muestras fueron procesadas posteriormente por digestión artificial. Se recuperaron 472.276 larvas musculares. La correlación lineal entre triquinoscopía y digestión artificial fue muy elevada y significativa (r=0,69; p<0,01; F=1,33; g.l.=1/418; P=0,248; p>0,05) mostrando que ambos métodos no difieren significativamente en la detección de larvas musculares, aún en ratas infectadas con pocas larvas.