The case for well-cooked pork and wild meats!
Roundworm—Trichinella: Trichinosis is caused by the roundworm Trichinella.
Trichinella larvae are passed to humans and other animals by eating meat that has been improperly cooked. The larvae penetrate the stomach and intestines and find a resting spot as they embed within the muscles. Above is a picture of a muscle biopsy containing a Trichinella worms. I had a couple cases of this in some forestry employees. Someone shot a cougar and made jerky out of it and shared it with their entire office. Five people came down with the disease. Very painful. It can also be passed by the meat of pork, bear, seals, rats, dog, cats and many other wild animals.
Diagnosis is by ELISA blood test and muscle biopsy.
Trichinella worm in muscle histopath slide
Treatment is with thiabendazole and steroids to help with the inflammation of the muscles where the larvae embed.
Prevention includes thoroughly cooking all meat including meat scraps fed to other animals.
CDC Lifecycle chart for Trichinella
Helpful Links and References:
- Lifecycle of Trichinella: https://www.antimicrobe.org/Lifecycle/Trichinella_LifeCycle.gif
- Trichinella in muscle fiber photo: https://www.trichinella.org/gallery/yuzo/cd4/yuzo-cd4-10.htm