Trichinosis – Russia
- March 26, 2021
- < 1 min read
Three people close to Samara, Russia were diagnosed with a rare disease (Trichinosis) after eating bear meat.
The three men were treated to bear meat by hunter friends. After three weeks, one of the men developed a fever and joint pain. At around the same time, the two other men developed similar symptoms.
The men were admitted to Sokolinka hospital for specialized help. Doctors of the Second Infectious Diseases Hospital diagnosed men with trichinosis. After treatment, all three men were discharged from the hospital and are in good condition.
In the Russian Federation, from several tens to two hundred cases of this disease are annually recorded, caused by the consumption of meat from wild and domestic animals infected with Trichinella larvae.
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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