Trichinella

Trichinella

Don’t confuse it with Trichiura. Their clinical presentation is very different. Trichinella spiralis is a nematode that infects humans after consuming raw or undercooked meat like pork and wild game. Once meat containing cysts, which are encysted larvae, is consumed, larvae are released after exposure to gastric acid and pepsin. They invade the mucosa of the small intestine, where they develop into adult worms. The new larvae then migrate and encyst in striated muscle. It initially presents as nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, followed a few weeks later by fever, muscle pain, classic periorbital edema, headache, itching, cough, diarrhea, or constipation. In severe infestations, congestive heart failure due to myocarditis, encephalitis, pneumonitis, hypokalaemia, or adrenal gland insufficiency and death may occur. Diagnosis is done by ELISA and Immunoblot for antibody detection. Muscle biopsy will show encysted larvae.