A barbecue between friends ends badly: what happened
It was supposed to be a relaxing family day but a barbecue turns into a nightmare for three people. Despite some precautions, 6 people showed worrying symptoms and were hospitalized for eating bear meat skewers.
It all started with a 29-year-old man living in Minnesota who experienced symptoms such as fever, muscle pain and swelling of the eyes after consuming barbecued meat. After two hospitalizations in 17 days, doctors diagnosed the trichinellosis, an infection caused by the larvae of the parasite present in raw or undercooked meat.
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The people involved declared that they had consumed the meat after more than a month of storage freezer and that the dark color had deceived them as to the actual degree of doneness. However, pigmentation is not a symptom of adequate preparation, as doctors confirm. A few days later two other family members showed the same symptoms. The total number of people affected out of nine participants at the barbecue is 6 individuals, including a 12-year-old boy. Thanks to a targeted treatment with albendazole, all patients recovered. The analyzes conducted on bear meat confirmed the presence of more than 800 larvae of trichinella per gram of meat.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has emphasized the importance of properly cooking meat game to effectively eradicate trichinella parasites, recommending an internal cooking temperature of at least 74°C, to be checked with an internal thermometer. Additionally, they recommend proper handling of raw meat to avoid contamination.
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Most infections are linked to the consumption of bear meat, but also moose, wild boar or pork. The larvae present in ingested meat develop in the small intestine, causing pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Subsequently, they transform into adult worms that can migrate throughout the body, reaching the muscles, heart and brain. This systemic phase can cause fever, periorbital edema, muscle cramps and inflammation of the heart and brain. The larvae can also cause severe eosinophilia, an increase in the number of circulating white blood cells.
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