A group of people suffered intestinal worms after eating undercooked bear meat at a family gathering.
In July 2022, the Minnesota Department of Health was notified that a 29-year-old man had been to the hospital multiple times over a two-and-a-half-week period with symptoms including fever, severe muscle pain, and swelling around the eyes, including others.
After his second visit, the man told doctors that he had attended a family gathering in South Dakota, where they ate black bear meat kebabs that had been “harvested” by one of the family members in Saskatchewan, Canada. .
The meat had been in the freezer for a month and a half before being thawed for the meal.
Because the meat was dark in color, it was accidentally served raw at first, before diners realized and cooked it again, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Nine family members, mostly from Minnesota but also from South Dakota and Arizona, they ate the food, although some only ate vegetables, which had been cooked and served with the meat.
Doctors eventually diagnosed the 29-year-old with trichinellosis, a roundworm that is rare in humans and is usually contracted from eating wild animals.
Once in a human host, the larvae can move through the body to muscle tissue and organs, including the brain.
Five other family members were diagnosed with worms, including a 12-year-old girl and two other family members who had only eaten vegetables.
In total, three family members ended up in the hospital, where they were treated with albendazole.
According to the Mayo Clinic, this medication prevents worms from absorbing sugar so they lose energy and die.
The CDC says the only way to ensure that trichinella parasites are dead is to cook meat to an internal temperature of at least 74°C.
It is believed that up to a quarter of black bears in Canada and Alaska may be infected.
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