Last year in November, 34 people attended a BBQ in North Carolina. After the BBQ, ten attendees felt unwell and soon after began to suffer horrific symptoms.
It would turn out that they were suffering from rare parasites thanks to undercooked bear meat that was served in the BBQ. Remember to always make sure your meat is thoroughly cooked, especially when cooking with more exotic meats.
A report released on October 10th this year from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that 22 of the BBQ visitors had eaten undercooked bear meat. It's fortunate only ten suffered with any sort of symptoms.
Undercooked Bear Meat At BBQ Gave Eaters Parasites
Out of the ten who felt ill after the BBQ, some awful symptoms were to be shared. Facial swelling was experienced by nine and myalgia (muscle pain) was experienced by six. Four of them also suffered from fever.
Half of those afflicted tested positive for Trichinellosis, a rare parasitic disease.
This cocktail of symptoms was due to the parasite larvae inside the bear meat. If the meat was thoroughly cooked, the parasites would have been killed. CDC states that "cooking wild game meat to an internal temperature ?165°F (?74°C) is necessary to kill Trichinella spp. parasites."
Although only five tested positive, the full range of required testing for the parasites weren't performed, so all ten attendees were classified as probably cases. As such, they were all given antihelminth, a treatment for parasitic infections.
With any luck, all ten will recover nicely and they won't suffer from any more symptoms.
Whoever cooked the bear meat during that BBQ has a lot to answer for for those they afflicted.
You can never take any chances when cooking meat, especially when it's wild game. Parasites and other such nasties can lay dormant in wild animals and can prove disastrous or lethal if consumed. Always check the appropriate guidelines when hosting a BBQ to ensure the safety of you and your guests.
