(WJW) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sending out a reminder to wild game hunters after a family became sickened with a rare parasite while eating undercooked bear meat.
In a newly released report, the CDC says six family members were infected by trichinellosis, a rare roundworm parasite that spreads through eating infected meat.
The investigation started in July 2022, after a case of suspected trichinellosis was reported to the Minnesota Department of Health.
According to the CDC, a 29-year-old man was hospitalized with a fever, severe muscle pain, eye swelling, eosinophilia and other symptoms.
The man reportedly sought out medical care four times and was hospitalized twice within 17 days, the CDC says.
Medical experts later learned that the man and eight other people got together for a family reunion in South Dakota six days before his symptoms began.
During the reunion, they shared a meal of kabobs with black bear meat, that was reportedly harvested by one of the family members in northern Saskatchewan, Canada in May 2022.
According to the CDC, while eating the meat, some family members noticed that it was undercooked. It was reportedly recooked before serving again.
Health officials reached out to the family members, who lived in Arizona, Minnesota, and South Dakota, and confirmed that six of them experienced symptoms associated with trichinellosis, ranging from age 12 to 62.
The CDC report confirms that three of those six people were hospitalized for a time due to the disease. They all recovered.
Experts collected samples from the remaining bear meat still in the freezer after 110 days, which tested positive for Trichinella nativa larvae. The family member who hunted the bear was told to throw the rest of the infected meat away.
The CDC says the cases were reported to state health departments and the Public Health Agency of Canada was notified about the outbreak.
According to the CDC, trichinellosis cases, while rare in the U.S., typically derive from wild game meat.
Health officials say there have been seven outbreaks with 35 probable and confirmed cases between January 2016 and December 2022. Bear meat was reportedly the culprit in most of those cases.
The CDC reminds the public that wild game meat should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165°F, which should be confirmed with a meat thermometer.
Learn more about the outbreak here.