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A family became ill with dangerous parasites after eating together. One man had to be treated in hospital four times within 17 days.
Munich – A family reunion in South Dakota ended with six people being infected by a dangerous parasite, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported in a Notice Only two members of the family showed no symptoms. The culprit was the Trichinella nematode, a roundworm that infects mammals and can have serious consequences, even death, if infected.
Family falls ill after eating kebab “made from black bear meat”
The incident took place in the summer of 2022. On Thursday, May 23, 2024, CDC experts published a study in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reportwhich is investigating the family’s case. According to the experts’ report, the family came together for a meal. The menu included homemade kebab “made from the meat of a black bear.”
The family did not have a meat thermometer to hand when cooking the meat. Therefore, they judged the doneness of the meat with the naked eye. Some family members noticed when serving that the bear meat was still “rare” and therefore decided to cook it again. Recently, Rewe also recalled a meat product because it was not heated sufficiently.
Man falls ill with trichinellosis – and has to go to hospital four times in 17 days
A few days later, the Ministry of Health received information about a 29-year-old man who complained of severe symptoms. Doctors found fever, severe muscle pain, swelling around the eyes (periorbital edema), high levels of white blood cells that fight infections, and other laboratory abnormalities. In total, the man had to be hospitalized four times within 17 days due to the infection.
It was only during his second hospital stay that doctors asked about his history of bear meat consumption and suspected trichinellosis. Shortly afterwards, a positive test for Trichinella immunoglobulin G antibodies confirmed the diagnosis. In total, doctors diagnosed infection in six of the eight family members. Three of them had to be treated in hospital with the antiparasitic drug albendazole. The other three recovered without medical treatment.
Robert Koch Institute warns of trichinellosis – what are the symptoms?
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) According to the FDA, trichinellosis is a food-borne disease Illnesswhich is caused by eating raw or insufficiently cooked meat that contains Trichinella larvae. The larvae are released by digestive enzymes in the stomach and mature into adult worms within a few days in the epithelial cells of the upper small intestine. Possible symptoms include:
- Diarrhea
- high fever
- chills
- severe myalgia
- periorbital edema
- urticarial or maculopapular rashes
- subungual bleeding
- Conjunctivitis
- Headache
- insomnia
- Swallowing disorders
- dry cough
- Petechiae
- painful movement disorders of the eye muscles.
According to the RKI, severe infections can cause cardiac arrhythmia, encephalitis, bronchopneumonia, sepsis, circulatory failure, adrenal insufficiency, psychotic conditions, coma and seizures. To avoid trichinellosis, the food should be heated to at least 70 degrees in the core for a period of more than one minute in order to safely kill the pathogens. The RKI recently warned of dangerous pathogens when grilling.
Trichinella pathogens are widespread worldwide – but the disease is extremely rare
Although parasites occur globally, as the CDC reports, their disease is rather rare. They nest in the muscle fibers of carnivores and omnivores. Between 2016 and 2022, only 35 cases of trichinellosis were registered in the United States, according to the CDC, mainly related to the consumption of bear, moose and wild boar meat.
The situation is similar in Europe. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced that 63 cases occurred in Germany between 2001 and 2011. The RKI experts emphasize: “The source of infection often remains undetected even after intensive research.” In 2006, 16 people in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania became ill at the same time after eating a privately kept domestic pig. Last year Trichinella pathogens were also detected in wild boar meat in Hesse. (bk)
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