A common-source outbreak of trichinosis from consumption of bear meat

This paper discusses an outbreak of trichinosis that occurred in 1998 in Montgomery County, Ohio, and the investigation that followed. The outbreak was associated with consumption of bear meat from a hunt in Ontario, Canada. The person who had the index case had eaten two bear burgers that were cooked rare in a microwave oven. Bear meat from the same hunt later was consumed by 15 other people at a church supper and an additional 13 people who did not attend the supper. Of the 15 attendees at the church supper who ate the bear meat, seven developed illness consistent with Trichinella infection (attack rate about 47 percent). An additional seven people attended the supper but did not eat the bear meat and did not become ill. Having eaten bear meat at the church supper was associated with an increased risk of illness (p = .05). Inadequate cooking of the bear meat resulted in the transmission of live trichinae. The 13 other people who ate the bear meat but did not attend the supper reported no illness. A total of eight people, including the person with the index case, met the case definition for trichinosis. Adequate cooking of the bear meat or consumption of uninfected portions of the meat was probably the protective factor for those who did not become ill after consuming the bear meat.