September 2017

BearBQ

A black bear was found dead in a national park and submitted to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory for necropsy. Grossly apparent focal areas of calcification were present in the diaphragm; the organisms shown in the stained photomicrograph below were recovered from muscle fibers in the affected lesions:​​​

What's your diagnosis?

Answer

This is a classic lesion associated with Trichinella spp. infection. Trichinellosis is a reportable human disease;, and within the years of 2008-2012 there were 90 cases of Trichinella reported in humans; 41 of those cases were associated with bear meat that was eaten raw or undercooked. It is very important to understand the clients that are in the community that we live in and increase education efforts so that all meat products are cooked thoroughly to decrease instances of infection with preventable diseases. (Wilson NO, Hall RL, Montgomery SP, Jones JL. Trichinellosis surveillance--United States, 2008-2012. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2015;64(1):1-8.)