Trichinosis is a rare infection caused by a parasite found in undercooked pork and wild game. Symptoms include body aches, fever, headache, and nausea, and in rare cases, it can lead to brain damage or death. Cooking meat to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit can prevent the infection.
Trichinosis is an infection caused by the nematode trichina, a parasite that colonizes the body of animals such as pigs and wild game. Most cases of trichinosis are relatively mild and also quite rare, thanks to the heightened awareness of food safety. In some cases, however, trichinosis can lead to tissue damage in the nervous system, resulting in brain damage, coma, or even death. To avoid this unfortunate turn of events, people should always cook pork and wild game to at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius).
This infection is also sometimes referred to as trichinellosis or trichinosis. In all cases, the disease process begins with an animal such as a pig, which picks up larval forms of the parasite in its food. Within a few days, adult worms develop in the intestinal tract, then the larvae are carried via the bloodstream to the animal’s muscles, at which point they encyst, entering a dormant state in which they can survive for up to a decade.
When someone consumes undercooked meat with encysted parasites, their stomach acids will dissolve the cyst wall, releasing the trichinella worms. Within a few days, intestinal symptoms begin to show as the worms mature. If the worms are allowed to reproduce, creating larvae, the victim will begin to experience body aches, fever, headache, and nausea as the larvae travel through the body through the bloodstream to become encysted again.
Trichinosis becomes dangerous if the worms manage to make their way into the central nervous system. While this is rare, it does happen and can be fatal. While worms cannot survive in the central nervous system, they can cause some damage before finally dying, and if enough worms are present, this damage can be debilitating.
Once the worms enter the bloodstream, trichinosis is difficult to treat. Anti-inflammatory medications may be prescribed to help reduce the pain, itching, and other symptoms that accompany the migration of worms. For this reason, doctors like to treat suspected cases of trichinosis early, prescribing antiparasitic drugs within days in hopes of killing the adult worms in the intestinal tract.
By cooking pork and game to a safe internal temperature, you eliminate the risk of trichinosis, because parasites cannot survive high temperatures. However, if you eat undercooked pork or game and feel sick within a few days, you should see a doctor right away. he or she may take a blood or stool sample to check for signs of trichinosis and begin treatment.
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