Assessment of Serum Levels of Copper, Magnesium, and Zinc in Patients Infected with Trichinella Britovi

Objective: Trichinella britovi is found in many species of carnivores and omnivores. T.britovi occurs in Eurasia and there are also studies on trichinellosis in Turkey showing the outbreak of trichinellosis, which occurred in Izmir, between January and March 2004. It was aimed to investigate the changes of level of the essential elements of copper, magnesium and zinc status in cases of trichinellosis. Material and Methods: This research has focused mainly on the relationship of copper, magnesium and zinc contents in human serum with Trichinella infection. Subjects were selected from anti-Trichinella IgG ELISA positive patients (48 patients, 24 controls). The parasite species was diagnosed from the deltoid muscle biopsy specimen using PCR and it was confirmed as T.britovi. The copper, magnesium and zinc concentrations of serum samples were determined using Zeeman atomic absorption spectrometry. Results: There was significantly higher serum magnesium concentration in both female and male patients than in controls. However, there was no significant difference in female and male patients' serum copper and zinc concentrations as compared with the controls. Conclusion: The increased magnesium levels clearly suggest that pathophysiology of trichinellosis may effect on element status and accordingly in human health.