A disease caused by eating meat infected with the parasitic nematode worm, Trichinella spiralis, which may be transmitted to humans via raw or underdone pig meat in which the immature spiralis is encysted. When such meat is eaten, the embryos contained in it are set free and develop into full-grown trichinellae; from each pair of these, 1,000 or more new embryos may arise in a few weeks. These burrow through the walls of the gut, spread throughout the body and settle in muscle.
is based on thorough inspection of meat in slaughterhouses; even cooking, unless the meat is in slices, is not an efficient protection. Pigs should not be fed on unboiled garbage. Rats may be a source of sporadic outbreaks, as infected rats have been found near piggeries. The disease is widely distributed throughout the Americas, Asia, Africa and the Arctic. Sporadic cases and epidemics occur and outbreaks also appear in Europe, although rarely in Britain. Illegal importation of meat from some wild animals has also been responsible for outbreaks.
Thiabendazole or mebendazole are usually effective in early infection when the nematode is still in the intestine. After the larvae have entered the muscles, pain killers and STEROID treatment may help.
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fatigue and fever are followed by headache, chills, cough, eye swelling and aching joints. Symptoms may last for months. Diagnosis is by blood test or muscle biopsy