At least six family members, including a 12-year-old child, were arrested after eating black bear meat at a family reunion in South Dakota. TrichinosisThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Thursday.
In 2022, the eight-member family dined together in South Dakota, including meat that had been caught in Saskatchewan, Canada, and frozen for 45 days after a hunting outfitter recommended they do so to kill parasites.
“People who eat wild game meat should be aware that proper cooking is the only sure way to kill the meat. Trichinella spiralis “Parasite-infected meat can cross-contaminate other foods,” the CDC said in a statement.
The meat was then grilled and served as kebabs with vegetables – two of the infected family members had only eaten vegetables.
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Parasitic larvae extracted from Asiatic black bear meat. (CDC)
Because the meat was darkened, it was inadvertently served rare, and when some family members noticed, they had it recooked.
In July 2022, six days after the meal, a 29-year-old man, a member of the family who had returned to Minnesota, began experiencing symptoms including fever, severe muscle pain, periorbital edema (swelling around the eyes), and eosinophilia.
After a 29-year-old man was hospitalized for the second time in 17 days, medical personnel learned he had eaten bear meat, diagnosed him with a parasitic infection and notified the Minnesota Department of Health.
The man was prescribed empirical albendazole for treatment.
“Albendazole is used to treat infections caused by parasitic worms,” says the Mayo Clinic. “The drug prevents the parasite from absorbing sugar (glucose), which causes the worm to lose energy and die.”
All patients who ate black bear meat recovered from the parasitic infection. (iStock)
Eight families from Minnesota, South Dakota and Arizona were interviewed by public health officials, and six of them were found to have the parasite.
The ninth person, a minor, has no known contact with meat and appears to be in good health, according to the CDC.
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Two more infected family members were hospitalized and prescribed albendazole, and all six family members recovered.
The CDC says of the parasite, “After ingesting infected meat and exposure to gastric acid and pepsin, larvae are released from the cysts and invade the small intestinal mucosa where they develop into adult worms. “Females are 2.2 mm long and males are 1.2 mm long. Their life span in the small intestine is about four weeks. After one week, females release larvae, which migrate to striated muscle and form cysts.”
Microscopic examination of larvae trapped within the muscle of a black bear. (CDC)
The larvae can travel through the body and reach muscle tissue and even the brain, CBS reported.
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The CDC advises: “To kill the Trichinella parasite, meat must be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165°F (at least 74°C). Trichinella-infected meat can cross-contaminate other foods, so raw meat should be stored and cooked separately from other foods to prevent cross-contamination.”
