Trichinosis

Description

Trichinosis (trik-ih-NO-sis), sometimes called trichinellosis (trik-ih-nuh-LOW-sis), is a type of worm infection. These parasites of the worm (trichinella) the use of a host body to live and reproduce. These parasites infect animals such as bears, mountain lions, walruses, foxes, wild boars and domestic pigs. You get the infection by the consumption of the immature form of the roundworm (larvae) in the raw or undercooked meat.

When humans eat raw or undercooked meat containing trichinella larvae, the larvae grow into adult worms in the small intestine. This takes several weeks. The adult worms produce larvae that travel through the bloodstream to different parts of the body. Then burrow into the muscle tissue. Trichinosis is the most widespread in the rural areas around the world.

Trichinosis can be treated with medication, although it is not always necessary. It is also easy to prevent.

Symptoms

The signs and symptoms of trichinosis infection and the severity of the infection may vary. This depends on the number of larvae consumed infected meat.

Possibly there are no signs or symptoms

Mild cases of trichinosis — those with only a small number of parasites in your body — it may not cause any signs or symptoms. Symptoms may develop with moderate or strong infestation — a large number of parasites in your body. These symptoms often get worse as the worm (trichinella) larvae travel through your body.

Initial signs and symptoms

Swallowing roundworm (trichinella) larvae in the tiny sacs (cysts) that contains the parasite. Your digestive juices dissolve the cyst, the release of larvae in your body. The larvae then enter the wall of the small intestine, where they grow into adult worms and mate. Digestive symptoms can begin 1 to 2 days after infection. In this scenario, you may experience:

  • Diarrhea
  • Stomach (abdominal) pain
  • Tiredness and weakness (fatigue)
  • Nausea and vomiting

Later, the signs and symptoms

About a week after infection, the adult female worms produce larvae. The larvae go through the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream, they travel throughout the body and is buried in the muscle tissue. Here, each larva coils and forms a cyst around itself.

The larvae can live for months to years in the interior of the muscle tissue.

The symptoms caused by the muscle tissue invasion usually begin 2 to 8 weeks after infection and include:

  • High fever and chills.
  • The muscle pain and tenderness
  • The pain of the joints
  • Swelling of the eyelids or face
  • Weakness
  • Headache
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
  • The itch, the irritation of the skin

With a large number of parasites, pain and muscle weakness can be severe. This may limit the movement, breathing, and speech.

The symptoms last for several months. But the symptoms usually decrease when the larvae form cysts. Even after the infection is gone, fatigue, slight pain, weakness, and diarrhea may last for months or years.

When to see a doctor

If you have a mild case of trichinosis with any symptoms, you may not need medical attention. If you have digestive problems or muscle pain and inflammation around a week after eating pork, or wild meat animals, talk with your health care provider.

Causes

People get trichinosis by eating raw or undercooked meat that is infected with larvae of the trichinella worm parasite. You may not transmit the parasite to another person.

Animals become infected when they feed on other infected animals. The infected meat in any place of the world can come from wild animals such as bear, cougar, wolf, wild boar, walrus or seal. In domestic pigs and horses can become infected with trichinosis when they feed on the garbage that contains the pieces of infected meat.

In the united States, the pigs have become a less common form of the source of infection due to a better control of the pork food and products. Wild, animal, the flesh is the source of most cases of trichinosis in the united states

You can't get trichinosis of the flesh of a cow, as cows don't eat meat. But some cases of trichinosis in the people that have been linked to eating beef that is mixed with the infected pig.

You can also get trichinosis when the beef or other meat is ground in a mill previously used to grind meat infected.

Risk factors

Factors of risk for trichinosis include:

  • Inadequate preparation of food. The trichinosis worm infects humans when they eat raw or undercooked infected meat, including pork and wild animal meat. You can also include other types of meat contaminated with grinders or other equipment.
  • Rural areas. Trichinosis is more common in rural areas across the world. High rates of infection are found in the pig-raising regions.
  • Eat wild or non-commercial meats. Public health measures have greatly reduced the number of trichinosis infections of the meat. But, non-commercial farm-raised animals — especially those with access to the bodies of animals — have higher rates of infection. Wild animals are still common infection sources.

Complications

Except in severe cases, complications associated with trichinosis are rare. In cases with a large number of worm (trichinella) larvae, the larvae can pass through the body to the muscle tissue in and around the organs. This can cause potentially dangerous, even fatal, complications, such as pain and swelling (inflammation) of the:

  • Muscle layer of the wall of the heart (myocarditis)
  • Brain (encephalitis)
  • Protective layer of tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord (meningitis)
  • The lungs (pneumonitis)

Prevention

The best defense against trichinosis is a correct preparation of the food. Follow these tips to avoid trichinosis:

  • Avoid raw or undercooked meat.Make sure that you thoroughly cook the beef until browned. Cook the pork and meat from wild animals, to an internal temperature of 160 ° f (71 C) in the center. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the meat is well cooked. Do not cut or eat meat for at least three minutes after removing from the fire.
  • Freeze the pork. The freezing of pork meat that is less than 6 inches thick in 5 F (-15 C) for three weeks is going to kill the worm parasites. But the worm parasites in wild meat from the animals do not die from freezing, even during a long period of time.
  • Know that other processing methods do not kill the parasites. Other processing methods of meat or of conservation, such as smoking, curing and pickling, not kills roundworm parasites in the infected meat. Also, cooking in the microwave, it is not recommended as a way to kill roundworm parasites. This is because the use of a microwave does not provide a uniform cooking to ensure that all parasites are killed.
  • Clean meat grinders thoroughly. If you grind your own meat, make sure that the mill is cleaned after each use.
  • The washing of hands. Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds after handling raw meat. This can prevent the spread of the infection to other foods.

Avoid raw or undercooked meat. Make sure that you thoroughly cook the beef until browned. Cook the pork and meat from wild animals, to an internal temperature of 160 ° f (71 C) in the center. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the meat is well cooked.

Do not cut or eat meat for at least three minutes after removing from the fire.

Trichinosis

Diagnosis

Your health care provider can diagnose trichinosis by the discussion of your symptoms and do a physical exam. The provider may also ask you if you have eaten raw or undercooked meat.

To diagnose the infection, your doctor may use these tests:

  • Blood tests. Your doctor may take a blood sample and the test of the signs that suggest trichinosis. These signs include an increase in the number of a type of white blood cells (eosinophils) or the formation of antibodies against the parasite after several weeks.
  • The muscle biopsy. A blood test is usually sufficient to make the diagnosis. But your healthcare provider may also recommend a muscle biopsy. A small piece of muscle is removed and examined under a microscope to look for roundworm (trichinella) of the larvae.

Trichinella larvae travel from the small intestine through your bloodstream and burrow into the muscle tissue. Because of this, the stool sample tests often do not show the parasite.

Treatment

Trichinosis usually improve on their own. In cases with mild or moderate number of larvae, the majority of the signs and symptoms usually disappear within a couple of months. However, the fatigue, mild pain, weakness, and diarrhea can persist for many months or years. Infection with a large number of larvae can cause more serious symptoms that need immediate treatment.

Your health care provider may prescribe medications depending on your symptoms and the severity of the infection.

  • Anti-parasite medication.Anti-parasitic medication is the first-line treatment for trichinosis. If your doctor finds that you have the roundworm (trichinella) parasites early, albendazole (Albenza), or mebendazole (Emverm) can kill the worms and larvae in the small intestine. The drugs can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain during the treatment. If your doctor finds the infection after the larvae burrow into the muscle tissues, the anti-parasitic drugs can't kill all of the parasites. However, your doctor may prescribe one if you have a brain, heart or lung problems due to the larvae cause the pain and swelling (inflammation) in these organs.
  • Pain relievers. After the larvae have entered into the muscles, the doctor may prescribe pain medication to help relieve muscle aches and pain and swelling (inflammation). Over time, larvae, cysts in the muscles tend to harden in the calcium (calcify). As a result, the larvae die, and muscle aches and pains and general weakness disappear.
  • Steroid medications. Sometimes trichinosis can cause an allergic reaction. This happens when the parasite enters the muscle tissue or when you are dead or dying larvae release chemicals into the muscle tissue. Your doctor may prescribe a steroid medicine to control pain and swelling.

Anti-parasite medication. Anti-parasitic medication is the first-line treatment for trichinosis. If your doctor finds that you have the roundworm (trichinella) parasites early, albendazole (Albenza), or mebendazole (Emverm) can kill the worms and larvae in the small intestine. The drugs can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain during the treatment.

If your doctor finds the infection after the larvae burrow into the muscle tissues, the anti-parasitic drugs can't kill all of the parasites. However, your doctor may prescribe one if you have a brain, heart or lung problems due to the larvae cause the pain and swelling (inflammation) in these organs.

Preparing for your appointment

It is likely to start by seeing your family doctor. In some cases, you may be referred to a specialist in infectious diseases.

Here's some information to help you prepare for your appointment.

What you can do

  • Be aware of pre-appointment restrictions. When you make the appointment, ask if there is something that you need to do in advance, such as the limit of its diet.
  • Make a list of your symptoms, including any that seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
  • Make a list of the personal information, including major stresses or recent life changes. Also tell your doctor if you have eaten raw or rare pork or wild animal meat lately.
  • List of all the medications, vitamins, herbs and supplements that you take.
  • Have a family member or friend along, if possible. Someone who goes with you can help you remember the information that is obtained.
  • Make a list of questions to ask your health care provider.

For trichinosis, a few questions are:

  • What is likely causing my symptoms or condition?
  • What are other possible causes?
  • What tests do I need?
  • Is my condition likely temporary or chronic?
  • What is the best course of action?
  • What are the alternatives to the primary approach you're suggesting?
  • I have other health conditions. How can I manage together?
  • Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing?
  • Are there brochures or other printed material that I can take? What sites do you recommend?

Do not hesitate to ask questions during your appointment.

What to expect from your doctor

Your health care provider is likely to ask a series of questions, including:

  • When did your symptoms begin?
  • You've eaten raw or rare meat from a pig or wild animal meat lately?
  • The symptoms been continuous or occasional?
  • How severe are the symptoms?
  • What, in any case, it improves your symptoms?
  • What, in any case, makes their symptoms worse?

Preparing for your appointment will help to make the most of your time with your health care provider.

Symptoms and treatment of Trichinosis