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Bear for Dinner and How Not to Get Trichinosis

As most people know the danger of eating black bears is the parasite Trichinosis. Trichinosis is a roundworm parasite that lives in the muscle tissues of large carnivores and omnivores such as mountain lions, grizzlies, pigs, wild hogs, and of course, black bears. Also, walrus but those tags are hard to draw in Wyoming. There are 6 forms of the actual parasite, but the most common found worldwide is called T. spiralis. The parasite infects a host when the larvae (which are encased in cysts in the muscle tissue of an infected animal) are eaten. The stomach acid releases the larvae which grow in the small bowel and they release more larvae which encase in the host bodies, striated muscle groups.…

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 Trichinella spiralis Pork Worm

Trichinella spiralis is commonly known as “Pork worm” because infective larvae in undercooked infected pork is the most common cause of human infection. The infective larvae are encapsulated in cysts called “nurse cells” in the muscle tissue of the infected animal and are released upon digestion by pepsin and other digestive enzymes. Once inside the intestine, the nematodes can inhibit the host immune response while they mature, mate and produce more larvae, which then invade muscle tissue in the new host. This initial intestinal phase causes the various gastrointestinal associated symptoms of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain, while the invasion of skeletal and cardiac muscle by the new larvae results in the various other symptoms associated with Trichinosis.

Articles of Interest

Trichinellosis: A rare parasitic infection

It has become a rare disease in the United States because of improvements in commercial animal husbandry involving pigs, the major source of trichinellosis worldwide. About 10 to 20 cases were reported annually in the U.S. in recent years. Many cases occur in clusters of two or more, related to sharing of the infected meat. Cases occur in the U.S. from ingestion of undercooked meat from feral pigs or bear or other meat-eating wild animals or from “backyard” pigs that have been allowed to forage for garbage. These pigs may get infected by ingesting infected rodents during their foraging.

Family infected with parasitic worms in US after eating bear meat, CDC says

According to the report, a week prior to the symptoms appearing, the patient and eight other people shared a meal that included the meat of a black bear which had been frozen for 45 days before being grilled and served rare with vegetables that had been cooked with the meat.

Trichinellosis

Trichinellosis is a parasitic disease of public health importance caused by the nematode of the genus Trichinella. Human infections are established by consumption of insufficiently cooked infected meat, usually pork or game meat, although other species have been implicated. Natural infections are found in wild carnivores; trichinellosis has also been found in horses, rats, beavers, opossums, walruses, whales, and meat-eating birds. Most mammals are susceptible. The number of human cases has declined in the past 50 years due in part to the move to modern production facilities (confinement) that reduces or eliminates exposure to rodents and other wildlife.

Trichinellosis - Fact Sheet

Trichinellosis (trichinosis) is a disease that can affect both animals and humans. It is caused by small nematodes (roundworms) of the Trichinella species. Infective larvae are transferred (from host-to-host) by the consumption of raw or undercooked infected meat. In many countries human trichinellosis has been associated with the consumption of improperly or uncooked meat from infected swine. Regulations to detect and control trichinellosis in swine have been in place in many countries for more than 100 years. Globally, outbreaks of human trichinellosis associated with pork from abattoirs operating under modern inspection systems rarely occur; however, cases which are associated with the consumption of undercooked meat from wild boars, horses, wildlife species such as walrus and bear, and outdoor-reared and home-processed swine continue to be reported.

Trichinosis

This parasitic disease was once a major health problem in the United States and North America. The prevalence has considerably decreased since the strict regulation of the meat industry in the 1940s.

Resources

CDC

People who eat raw or undercooked meat from certain animals can get trichinellosis. Trichinellosis is a rare disease in the United States, and the risk of getting it is low. Trichinellosis symptoms can be mistaken for flu symptoms. Cooking meat to safe temperatures prevents trichinellosis.

StatPearls

Trichinellosis, also called trichinosis, is a parasitic infection caused by roundworms (nematodes) from the genus Trichinella. It is caused by consuming undercooked or raw meat (usually pork). Trichinella spiralis species is the common cause of human disease and infection occurs after the ingestion of raw or undercooked pork. Symptoms are diverse and may include generalized fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, or myalgias. The presentation can also include myocarditis and encephalitis.