Eating undercooked meat is an easy way to catch a nasty disease or parasite that can wreak havoc on your insides. Some North Carolina barbecue attendees learned this lesson the hard way.
A serving of undercooked bear meat at a meeting in western North Carolina last year led to an apparent outbreak of trichinellosis among many attendees who ate it, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 22 of 34 people surveyed, or 65 percent, reported eating meat; Of these, 10, or about 45 percent, experienced symptoms consistent with trichinellosis infection.
Trichinella nematodes are parasites that can cause trichinellosis when humans consume raw or undercooked meat containing immobile larvae. Trichinellosis is rare in the United States, and most recent cases have been associated with consumption of wild game. The most common symptoms include myalgia and fever in 54 percent of cases and facial swelling in 42 percent of those affected. The first patient collected in North Carolina “experienced flu-like symptoms and facial swelling.”
To prevent this from happening to you, be sure to practice food safety as much as possible, especially when hunting your meat yourself.
“Communication about safe wild game preparation is the most effective way to prevent trichinellosis. The accuracy of diagnostic antibody tests can be poor, and treatment costs can be significant,” the CDC warned. “Cooking wild game to internal temperature [of or greater than] 165 degrees Fahrenheit is required to kill Trichinella parasites.”
If you're cooking your own caught meat, you'll probably want to err more on the well-done side.