Trichinella spiralis

Trichinella spiralis is an important example of the parasite in the food supply. It causes a severe foodborne disease that occurs sporadically.

Trichinella spiralis, a small roundworm found in raw pork that causes trichinosis.

The life cycle of T. spiralis is similar to many other parasitic infections: a human eats undercooked pork and also unknowingly ingest the encapsulated larvae of the parasite.

Very few infected people have sufficient symptoms to recognize the disease. Although most infections are thought to develop sub-clinically and to remain symptomless, trichinosis can be dangerous nematodal parasitic disease in man.

Early symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting and nausea.

This can be followed by pain, stiffness, swelling of muscles and swelling in the face.

Trichinella spiralis requires only one host in its life cycle, with larval and adult stages occurring in different organs.

Infections results from consumption of meat, most commonly poorly cooked pork, containing encapsulated fort stage larvae.

One ingested, the larvae are released from their capsules in the duodenum by the action of the host’s digestive enzymes.

This species is the etiological agent of most of Trichinella infection in the human beings and deaths around the world.
Trichinella spiralis