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What causes trichinosis if you eat raw pork?
Is pork safe from trichinosis?
How do you kill trichinosis in pork?
Sep 6, 2022 · Whether or not modern pork-related cases of trichinosis can be considered significant, it is safe to say that your chances of becoming ill from trichinosis-infected pork are very low. This is mostly due to changes in feeding practices for commercially raised swine.
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•Overview
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•When to see a doctor
•Causes
•Risk factors
•Complications
Possibly no signs or symptoms
Mild cases of trichinosis — those with only a small number of parasites in your body — may cause no signs or symptoms. Symptoms can develop with moderate or heavy infestation — a large number of parasites in your body. These symptoms sometimes get worse as the roundworm (trichinella) larvae travel through your body.
Initial signs and symptoms
You swallow roundworm (trichinella) larvae in tiny sacks (cysts) containing the parasite. Your digestive juices dissolve the cysts, releasing the larvae into your body. The larvae then enter the wall of your small intestine, where they grow into adult worms and mate. Digestive symptoms can begin 1 to 2 days after infection. At this stage, you may experience:
Later signs and symptoms
About a week after infection, the adult female worms produce larvae. The larvae go through the wall of your intestine and enter your bloodstream, They travel around the body and bury themselves in muscle tissue. Here, each larva coils up and forms a cyst around itself.
If you have a mild case of trichinosis with no symptoms, you might not need medical care. If you have digestive problems or muscle pain and swelling about a week after eating pork or wild-animal meat, talk to your health care provider.
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People get trichinosis when they eat raw or undercooked meat that is infected with the larvae of the trichinella roundworm parasite. You can't pass the parasite on to another person.
Animals are infected when they feed on other infected animals. Infected meat anywhere in the world can come from wild animals such as bear, cougar, wolf, wild boar, walrus or seal. Domestic pigs and horses can become infected with trichinosis when they feed on garbage containing infected meat scraps.
In the United States, pigs have become a less common source of infection due to increased control of pork feed and products. Wild-animal meat is the source of most cases of trichinosis in the U.S.
You can't get trichinosis from beef, as cows don't eat meat. But some cases of trichinosis in people have been linked to eating beef that was mixed with infected pork.
Risk factors for trichinosis include:
•Improper food preparation. Trichinosis infects humans when they eat raw or undercooked infected meat, including pork and wild-animal meat. It can also include other meat contaminated by grinders or other equipment.
•Rural areas. Trichinosis is more common in rural areas around the world. Higher infection rates are found in hog-raising regions.
•Eating wild or noncommercial meats. Public health measures have greatly lowered the number of trichinosis infections from commercial meats. But noncommercial farm-raised animals — particularly those with access to wild-animal carcasses — have higher rates of infection. Wild animals are still common infection sources.
Except in severe cases, complications related to trichinosis are rare. In cases with a large number of roundworm (trichinella) larvae, larvae can move through the body to muscle tissue in and around organs. This can cause potentially dangerous, even fatal, complications, such as pain and swelling (inflammation) of the:
•Muscle layer of the heart wall (myocarditis)
•Brain (encephalitis)
•Protective tissue layer surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
The best defense against trichinosis is proper food preparation. Follow these tips to avoid trichinosis:
•Avoid raw or undercooked meat. Be sure to thoroughly cook cuts of meat until brown. Cook pork and meat from wild animals to an internal temperature of 160 F (71 C) at the center. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked.
Don't cut or eat meat for at least three minutes after you've removed it from the heat.
•Freeze pork. Freezing pork that is less than 6 inches thick at 5 F (-15 C) for three weeks will kill the roundworm parasites. But roundworm parasites in wild-animal meat won't die by freezing, even over a long period.
•Know that other processing methods don't kill parasites. Other methods of meat processing or preserving, such as smoking, curing and pickling, don't kill roundworm parasites in infected meat. Also, microwave cooking isn't recommended as a way to kill roundworm parasites. This is because using a microwave doesn't provide even cooking to ensure all parasites are killed.
•Clean meat grinders thoroughly. If you grind your own meat, make sure the grinder is thoroughly cleaned after each use.
•A Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, 5th Edition
•Newsletter: Mayo Clinic Health Letter — Digital Edition
May 24, 2022 · Trichinellosis, more commonly known as trichinosis, is a parasitic food-borne disease that is caused by eating raw or undercooked meats, particularly pork products infested with the larvae of a type of roundworm called Trichinella.
Aug 8, 2012 · Trichinosis is caused by eating raw or undercooked pork and wild game infected with the larvae of a parasitic worm. The contaminated meat is infected with the larvae of a worm called Trichinella spiralis. The initial symptoms of trichinosis are: Abdominal discomfort. Nausea.
Trichinosis has been a stigma associated with the consumption of pork for years. A recent study indicates that a trichinae-safe pork supply would increase consumer confidence and pork consumption, resulting in additional income to pork producers.
May 22, 2024 · 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.
Mar 12, 2024 · Eating raw or undercooked meat contaminated with Trichinella worms will put you at risk for trichinellosis. Meat at risk for contamination includes undercooked pork or wild game, in particular, bear, wild boar, wildcat, fox, wolf, seal, or walrus.
