Trichinosis – Panama
- August 26, 2021
- < 1 min read
20 people in the City of Colon, Panama have been infected with Trichinosis after eating contaminated pig salami.
The infection originated in a family owned slaughterhouse that aquired the infected pig in Santa Fe. Trichinosis is caused by the trichina larvae and symptoms include high fever, muscle pain and vomiting or diarrhea.
Some people are hospitalized, but no concrete number is given.
Photo: Trichinella spiralis larvae, also called prok worm.
Trichinosis, also known as trichinellosis, is a parasitic disease caused by roundworms. Typically the disease is contracted by eating under-cooked, usually wild, meat containing Trichinella cysts. Most often bear meat will be the cause, but infection can also occur from pork, boar, rodents and dog meat.
After being eaten, the larvae are released from their cysts in the stomach. They then invade the wall of the small intestine, where they develop into adult worms. Symptoms usually are diarrhea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.
This disease is found in at least 55 countries, but is more common in cooler climates. The best way to prevent trichinosis is to fully cook meat and avoid eating wild meat or bush meat.
In 1835 trichinosis was discovered by James Paget, at that time a first-year medical student and known as one of the founders of medical pathology. He took a special interest in muscles that had white flecks, which he called sandy diaphragm. It took a whole two decades before his discovery gained wide acceptance in the medical community.
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