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Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Appendices

The following text is from an archived Red Book® edition and may not reflect current recommendations or information. To view the current edition, click here.

Section 3. Summaries of Infectious Diseases

Trichinosis

(Trichinella spiralis)

Clinical Manifestations
Etiology
Epidemiology
Diagnostic Tests
Treatment
Isolation of the Hospitalized Patient
Control Measures

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CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS: The clinical spectrum of infection ranges from inapparent to fulminant and fatal illness, but most infections are inapparent. The severity of the disease is proportional to the infective dose. During the first week after ingesting infected meat, a person may be asymptomatic or experience abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea. Two to 8 weeks later, as larvae migrate into tissues, fever, myalgia, periorbital edema, urticarial rash, and conjunctival and subungual hemorrhages may develop. Larvae may remain viable in tissues for years; calcification of some larvae in skeletal muscle usually occurs within 6 to 24 months and may be detected on radiographs. In severe infections, myocarditis, neurologic involvement, and pneumonitis can follow in 1 or 2 months.


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ETIOLOGY: Infection is caused by nematodes (roundworms) of the genus Trichinella. At least 5 species capable of infecting only warm-blooded animals have been identified. Worldwide, Trichinella spiralis is the most common cause of human infection.


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E. . . [Go to Full Text]


Related text in Red Book:

Drugs for Parasitic Infections

Red Book 2003: 744-770. [Extract] [Full Version]