Symptoms may range from very mild to severe and relate to the number of infectious worms consumed in meat. Often, mild cases of trichinosis are never specifically diagnosed and are assumed to be the flu or other common illnesses. When a human or animal eats meat that contains infective Trichinella cysts, the acid in the stomach dissolves the hard covering of the cyst and releases the worms. The worms pass into the small intestine and, in 1-2 days, become mature. After mating, adult females lay eggs.
Eggs develop into immature worms, travel through the arteries, and are transported to muscles.
Infection occurs when these encysted worms are consumed in meat. Infection can only occur by eating raw or undercooked meat containing Trichinella worms. See your health care provider who can order tests and treat symptoms of trichinosis infection. If you have eaten raw or undercooked meat, you should tell your health care provider. A blood test or muscle biopsy can show if you have trichinosis.