II. Epidemiology
- U.S. infections are now rare
III. Pathophysiology
- Trichinella spiralis is a parasitic roundworm found in carnivorous mammals (esp. swine and rats fed raw garbage)
- Humans are infected by consuming undercooked pork infected with Trichinella larvae
- In addition to pork, other ingested meat sources include wild boar, bear, deer or ground beef
IV. Symptoms
- Gastrointestinal symptoms (most common)
- Diarrhea
- Abdominal Pain or cramping
- Nausea or Vomiting
- Fever
- Systemic Symptoms (uncommon)
- Fever
- Eosinophilia
- Myositis
- Circumorbital edema
V. Labs
- Trichinella spiralis Antibody Testing
- Unreliable in first 3 weeks of infection
- Obtain 2 specimens, 2 to 3 weeks apart (consult CDC resource below)
- Other variable findings
- Lactate Dehydrogenase increased
- Hypergammaglobulinemia
VI. Diagnostics
-
Myositis
- Serum Creatine Kinase increased
- Muscle biopsy of Myositis location may demonstrate larvae
- Suspected CNS involvement
- Brain imaging (e.g. MRI Brain)
VII. Management
-
Albendazole
- Adult (and age >6 years): 400 mg orally twice daily for 8 to 14 days
- Child age 1 to 6 years: 5 to 10 mg/kg divided twice daily orally for 10 to 15 days
- Asymptomatic or mild symptoms may not require treatment
-
Prednisone
- Consider with Albendazole in patients with severe systemic symptoms
- Prednisone (adult dose) 30 to 60 mg orally daily for 10 to 15 days or until symptoms improve
VIII. Complications
- CNS involvement
- Risk of fatal disease
IX. Resources
- CDC Parasite Hotline
- Rawla (2023) Trichinella spiralis Infection, StatPearls, Treasure Island, FL
X. References
Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)
Related Studies
| Definition (MSH) | A parasite of carnivorous mammals that causes TRICHINELLOSIS. 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. |
| Concepts | Eukaryote (T204) |
| MSH | D017160 |
| SnomedCT | 16439004 |
| LNC | LP16775-6, MTHU011284 |
| English | Trichinella spiralis, Trichina spiralis, Trichinella spirali, spiralis, Trichina, spirali, Trichinella, spirali, Trichina, spiralis, Trichinella, Trichina spirali, spiralis trichinella, trichinella spiralis, TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS, Trichinella spiralis (organism) |
| Swedish | Trichinella spiralis |
| Czech | Trichinella spiralis, svalovec stočený |
| Finnish | Trikiini |
| Italian | Trichina spiralis, Trichinella spiralis |
| French | Trichine, Trichina spiralis, Trichinella spiralis |
| Polish | Trichinella spiralis, Włosień kręty |
| Japanese | センモウチュウ, 旋毛虫 |
| Norwegian | Trikin, Trichinella spiralis, Trichina spiralis |
| Spanish | Trichinella spiralis (organismo), Trichinella spiralis, Trichina spiralis |
| German | Trichina spiralis, Trichinella spiralis |
| Russian | TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS, TRICHINA SPIRALIS |
| Dutch | Trichina spiralis, Trichine, Trichinella spiralis |
| Portuguese | Trichina spiralis, Trichinella spiralis |
Ontology: Trichinellosis (C0040896)
| Definition (MSH) | An infection with TRICHINELLA. It is caused by eating raw or undercooked meat that is infected with larvae of nematode worms TRICHINELLA genus. All members of the TRICHINELLA genus can infect human in addition to TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS, the traditional etiological agent. It is distributed throughout much of the world and is re-emerging in some parts as a public health hazard and a food safety problem. |
| Definition (NCI) | A parasitic infection caused by larvae of worms of the genus Trichinella. It is transmitted to humans by ingesting raw or undercooked meat from infected animals. Signs and symptoms include abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, headache, coughing, myalgias, arthralgias, and eye swelling. |
| Definition (CSP) | a disease due to infection with trichinae, caused by consumption of undercooked meat containing Trichinella. |
| Concepts | Disease or Syndrome (T047) |
| MSH | D014235 |
| ICD9 | 124 |
| ICD10 | B75 |
| SnomedCT | 266222003, 154415009, 88264003 |
| LNC | LA10512-4 |
| English | Trichinelliases, Trichinelliasis, Trichinoses, TRICHINOSIS, trichinosis (diagnosis), trichinosis, Trichinosis, Trichinellosis, Trichinelloses, Trichinellosis [Disease/Finding], trichinelliasis, trichinoses, Trichiniasis, Infection by larvae of Trichinella spiralis, Infection by larvae of Trichinella spiralis (disorder), trichinellosis, Trichinella spiralis infection, trichiniasis |
| French | TRICHINOSE, Infection à Trichinella spiralis, Trichinellose, Trichinose |
| German | TRICHINOSE, Trichinella spiralis-Infektion, Trichinellose, Trichiniasis, Trichinelliasis, Trichinose |
| Italian | Trichiniasi, Infezione da trichinella spiralis, Trichinelliasi, Trichinosi, Trichinellosi |
| Dutch | trichinosis, Trichinella spiralis-infectie, Trichinose, trichiniase, Trichinella-infectie, Trichinellosis |
| Portuguese | Infecção por Trichinella spiralis, TRIQUINOSE, Triquinelose, Triquinose, Triquiníase, Triquinelíase |
| Spanish | Infección por Trichinella spiralis, Triquina, Triquinelosis, Triquinosis, Triquiniasis, infección por larvas de Trichinella spiralis (trastorno), infección por larvas de Trichinella spiralis, triquenelosis, triquiniasis, triquinosis, Triquineliasis |
| Japanese | 旋毛虫感染, ｾﾝﾓｳﾁｭｳｶﾝｾﾝ, ｾﾝﾓｳﾁｭｳｼｮｳ, 旋毛虫症 |
| Finnish | Trikinelloosi |
| Russian | TRIKHINELLEZ, ТРИХИНЕЛЛЕЗ |
| Czech | Trichinóza, Infekce parazitem Trichinella spiralis, trichinóza, trichinelóza |
| Korean | 선모충증 |
| Croatian | TRIHINOZA |
| Swedish | Trikinellos |
| Polish | Włośnica, Trichinelloza |
| Hungarian | Trichinella spiralis fertőzés, trichiniasis, Trichinosis |
| Norwegian | Trikinose |
