People in several states have contracted a parasitic disease that made them seriously ill after they all ate bear meat.
Nine family members gathered in South Dakota and shared a meal of black bear meat and roasted vegetables.
A week later, six of them in Arizona, Minnesota and South Dakota began experiencing muscle pain, vomiting and fever and were suspected of contracting trichinellosis.
Trichinellosis, also called triconisus, is a parasitic disease that people contract by eating raw or undercooked meat that is infected with a microscopic parasitic worm called trichinella.
Although bear meat is a strange food for most, on TikTok several adventurous eaters have shown themselves preparing the meat, although many warn of the risk of not cooking it correctly.
Around July 2022, family members ate bear meat, which was originally served raw because the dark color of the meat made it difficult for them to determine the level of doneness.
After some members of the group began eating the meat and noticed that it was undercooked, the meat was cooked further before being served again.
The bear meat had been collected by a family member in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, in May 2022.
A week after the meeting, a 29-year-old family member began feeling sick with fever, severe muscle pain, and swollen eyes.
He sought medical attention for his symptoms four times and was hospitalized twice in 17 days.
Bear meat was originally served raw because the dark color of the meat made it difficult for the family to determine the level of doneness.
During his second hospital stay, he told doctors he had eaten bear meat and was treated with albendazole, an FDA-approved medication for parasitic worm infections.
The other confirmed case was a 12-year-old girl who suffered from the same symptoms.
Four other probable cases were found in two women, ages 29 and 54, and two men, ages 57 and 62.
The women had only eaten the vegetables, although they had been cooked and served with the bear meat.
All patients recovered. Tests carried out on the remaining meat found that it contained trichinella larvae.
The CDC warned that proper cooking is the only reliable way to kill trichinella parasites.
Although bear meat is an unusual meat for most, several adventurous eaters on TikTok have shown themselves preparing the meat, although many warn about the risk of not cooking it correctly.
While it is legal to have and eat bear meat in the United States, it is illegal to sell it. It is also illegal to hunt bears in some states.
Trichinellosis is a parasitic infection usually caused by the consumption of raw or undercooked meat, usually pork.
Mild cases may improve on their own, but severe cases can cause death without treatment.
The infection can be treated with antiparasitic medications.