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Trichinella spiralis, the
trichina worm, can be found in many species of carnivores and omnivores. Females are
perhaps 3 mm long and males half that size. Animals are infected with T. spiralis
when they ingest juvenile infective larvas in raw or undercooked meat. The larvas mature
into adults in the host's small intestine in a few weeks. The female worms give birth to
larvas. The males die after fertilizing the females, and they die after producing larvas. The
larvas enter the blood stream of the host and end up in the host's muscles. Here the
larvas mature into infective larvas, and the next host is infected when it eats these
larvas. In the muscles the larvas cause a severe host reaction that results in soreness
and tenderness of the muscles. This parasite can cause extreme discomfort. |
