Trichinosis

Introduction: Trichinosis

Trichinosis: Trichinosis, also called trichinellosis (TRICK-a-NELL-o-sis), is caused by eating raw or undercooked pork and wild game products infected with the larvae ... more about Trichinosis.

Trichinosis: Worm infection usually caught from pigs. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Trichinosis is available below.

Symptoms of Trichinosis

• No symptoms
• Mild symptoms
• Cysts in various muscles of the body
• Gastrointestinal symptoms
  • Slight stomachache

See full list of 51 symptoms of Trichinosis

Medical Textbooks Online about Trichinosis

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Trichinosis

• Blood tests
• Serum eosinophils
• Muscle biopsy
• Microscopic examination of muscle tissue

Read more about tests for Trichinosis

Wrongly Diagnosed with Trichinosis?

• Misdiagnosis of Trichinosis

Causes of Trichinosis

Read more about causes of Trichinosis.

Treatments for Trichinosis

• Thiabendazole - only works in the early stages.
• Corticosteroids - these work in the larval migration stage but may be contraindicated for later stages (or used for related heart or CNS problems).
• Mebendazole
• Pain medications
• Bed rest

See full list of 8 treatments for Trichinosis

Videos for Trichinosis

Patient Surveys for Trichinosis

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Prognosis for Trichinosis

More about prognosis of Trichinosis

Reseach about Trichinosis

Visit our research pages for current research about Trichinosis treatments.

Clinical Trials for Trichinosis

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Trichinosis include:

• Parasitic Infections of the Gastrointestinal Tract - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006)

Read more about Clinical Trials for Trichinosis

Prevention of Trichinosis

Prevention information for Trichinosis has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Trichinosis.

• Cooking meat
• Freezing meat
• Cook sausages fully
• Avoid undercooked pork
• Avoid undercooked pig meat products

Read more about prevention of Trichinosis

Statistics for Trichinosis

• Medical statistics for Trichinosis
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Trichinosis
• Death and Mortality statistics for Trichinosis
• Society statistics for Trichinosis

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User Interactive Forums

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Article Excerpts about Trichinosis

Trichinosis: DPD (Excerpt)

Trichinosis, also called trichinellosis (TRICK-a-NELL-o-sis), is caused by eating raw or undercooked pork and wild game products infected with the larvae of a species of worm called Trichinella. Infection occurs worldwide, but is most common in areas where raw or undercooked pork, such as ham or sausage, is eaten. (Source: excerpt from Trichinosis: DPD)

Parasitic Roundworm Diseases, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)

Trichinosis is an infection by the larvae of a most versatile roundworm, Trichinella spiralis. This parasite can infect virtually every meat-eating mammal. Unlike the other parasitic roundworm diseases that have been discussed, trichinosis is not an intestinal infection in the usual sense. It is the migration of T. spiralis larvae through the body and their encystment (becoming enclosed in a capsule) in a muscle that creates serious problems. The parasite is especially common in rats and in swine that feed on uncooked garbage. The disease occurs in humans when they eat undercooked infected pork. (Source: excerpt from Parasitic Roundworm Diseases, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Definitions of Trichinosis:

A parasite of carnivorous mammals that causes TRICHINOSIS. It is especially common in rats and in swine fed uncooked garbage. Human infection is initiated by the consumption of raw or insufficiently cooked pork or other meat containing the encysted larvae. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Infestation by trichina larvae that are transmitted by eating inadequately cooked meat (especially pork); larvae migrate from the intestinal tract to the muscles where they become encysted - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Trichinosis is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Trichinosis, or a subtype of Trichinosis, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Trichinosis as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet