By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

At least 20 people, adults and children, in the city of Nelson in Santa Fe Province, Argentina are reportedly experiencing symptoms of trichinosis after eating salami or homemade sausages.

“The meat was made by a person or a group of people who do not have a business. Many people ingested the same meat and have a similar state of health. It generates a lot of muscular pain, characteristic of trichinosis disease. None had a sore throat, cough, or catarrh. There is no focus of the disease on any specific organ of the body. And it depends on the case, and according to the intake, diarrhea can be generated ”, highlighted Dr. Ariel Moriondo, director of the Samco de Nelson.

Trichinella spiralis parasite
Trichinella spiralis cysts
Image/CDC

Moriondo said testing is being done by the Malbran institute; however, results may take longer the usual due to the COVID-19 emergency.

Trichinosis is a parasitic disease caused most commonly by the roundworm Trichinella spiralis. If someone ingests undercooked or raw meat with the encysted larvae, the stomach acid releases the larvae which mature to adults in the intestine.

After about a week the female starts releasing larvae which enter the bloodstream and find their way to skeletal muscle where they encapsulate.

There can be gastrointestinal symptoms mimicking acute food poisoning when there is activity of the adults in the intestine.

Subscribe to Outbreak News TV on YouTube

Sudden appearance of fever, muscle soreness and pain with swelling of parts of the face is early classic signs. This can sometimes be followed by retinal hemorrhages and other ocular signs.

With heavy infections cardiac, respiratory and neurological problems may ensue with death by heart failure being most common. The more larvae you ingest, the more serious the disease.

Giardia in Black and White

What preventive measures are available?

• Cook all fresh pork, pork products and meat from wild animals to where all the meats reaches 160° F. The meat should turn from pink to gray.
• Freezing pork at -13° F for at least 10 days will kill the cysts. The exception to this rule is strains of Trichinella found in walrus and bear meat which are cold-resistant and must be cooked as noted above.
• Smoking, salting or drying meat is not effective.