In the year In 2022, six people contracted the parasite known as “brainworms” after eating undercooked black bear meat or food contaminated with the meat at a family gathering. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said in a new report.
In May 2022, a group of nine family members met in South Dakota and shared a kebab made of black bear and vegetable meat. Earlier that month, one of the family members harvested the meat in northern Saskatchewan, Canada.
On the advice of a hunting outfitter, the family member refrigerates the meat for 45 days to kill the parasites. The family thawed the meat and roasted the vegetables, according to the CDC.
But the meat was accidentally served undercooked. Months later, family members presented to doctors or hospitals with symptoms from the parasitic infection trichinosis, otherwise known as brainworm.
The CDC conducted the investigation after health officials reported the infection. Now, the health agency is urging people to cook their meat to an internal temperature of ≥165°F (≥74°C).
Some states, such as Minnesota, require health care providers to report cases of trichinellosis to the state health department.
Health care providers said a 29-year-old man presented to the hospital in July 2022 with symptoms similar to trichinosis: fever, severe pain, eye swelling, and a high white blood cell count, along with other lab abnormalities.
This is the second time the man has been admitted to the hospital and the fourth time for treatment of symptoms that began in early July. It was only then that he disclosed to health professionals that he had eaten bear meat.
Trichinellosis a A relatively rare parasitic disease It typically thrives on rare or undercooked meat from wild animals. Parasites known as roundworms cause disease by infecting and multiplying in body parts.
90 percent of cases in the United States are from bears.
At a family meeting in May 2022, only five of the nine family members ate the bear meat while eight ate the cooked vegetables.
People who have eaten bear meat have said that it is undercooked after eating it – because of its black color, it is difficult to tell if it is well cooked before eating. After the bear realized that the meat was rare, but it was too late, they put it back in the pan to cook.
After testing, the CDC found that six of the eight people admitted to the hospital showed symptoms consistent with trichinellosis — four who ate the meat and two who ate only vegetables. They ranged in age from 12 to 62. One lived in Arizona, four in Minnesota and one in South Dakota.
Three people required treatment for trichinellosis, but two others recovered on their own.
Tests on bear meat that had been frozen in the family freezer for 110 days revealed freeze-resistant Trichinella larvae. The person holding the meat was ordered to throw it away.
The CDC recommends that the best way to prevent trichinosis is to cook meat thoroughly and use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
Additionally, people handling raw meat should wash their hands with warm water and soap before preparing and cleaning any equipment after use.