TRICHINELLA

SPRIRALIS
OVERVIEW
TRICHINELLA SPECIES, ARE THE SMALLEST
NEMATODE PARASITE OF HUMANS, HAVE AN
UNUSUAL LIFECYCLE, AND ARE ONE OF THE
MOST WIDESPREAD AND CLINICALLY
IMPORTANT PARASITES IN THE WORLD.
 MORPHOLOGY
MALES OF T. SPIRALIS MEASURE BETWEEN 1.4 AND 1.6 MM LONG, AND ARE
MORE FLAT ANTERIORLY THAN POSTERIORLY. THE ANUS CAN BE FOUND IN
THE TERMINAL END, AND THEY HAVE A LARGE COPULATORY PSEUDOBURSA
ON EACH SIDE. THE FEMALES OF T. SPIRALIS ARE ABOUT TWICE THE SIZE
OF THE MALES, AND HAVE AN ANUS FOUND TERMINALLY. THE VULVA IS
LOCATED NEAR THE ESOPHAGUS. THE SINGLE UTERUS OF THE FEMALE IS
FILLED WITH DEVELOPING EGGS IN THE POSTERIOR PORTION, WHILE THE
ANTERIOR PORTION CONTAINS THE FULLY DEVELOPED JUVENILES.
LIFE CYCLE
TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS ADULTS WILL INVADE THE
INTESTINAL WALL OF A PIG, AND PRODUCE LARVAE THAT
INVADE THE PIG'S MUSCLES. THE LARVAL FORMS ARE
ENCAPSULATED AS A SMALL CYSTIC STRUCTURE WITHIN
A MUSCLE CELL OF THE INFECTED HOST. WHEN
ANOTHER ANIMAL (PERHAPS A HUMAN) EATS THE
INFECTED MEAT, THE LARVAE ARE RELEASED FROM THE
NURSE CELLS IN THE MEAT (DUE TO STOMACH PH), AND
MIGRATE TO THE INTESTINE, WHERE THEY BURROW INTO
THE INTESTINAL MUCOSA, MATURE, AND REPRODUCE.

TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS CAN LIVE THE MAJORITY OF ITS

ADULT LIFE IN THE INTESTINES OF HUMANS.
 SYMPTOMS
THE FIRST SYMPTOMS MAY APPEAR BETWEEN 12 HOURS AND TWO
DAYS AFTER INGESTION OF INFECTED MEAT.
• INFLAMMATION SYMPTOMS:
1. NAUSEA
2. VOMITING
3. SWEATING
4. DIARRHEA.
•FIVE TO SEVEN DAYS AFTER THE APPEARANCE OF THESE SYMPTOMS:
1) FACIAL EDEMA
2) FEVER MAY OCCUR.
• TEN DAYS FOLLOWING INGESTION:
INTENSE MUSCULAR PAIN
 DIFFICULTY BREATHING
 WEAKENING OF PULSE AND BLOOD PRESSURE
 HEART DAMAGE AND VARIOUS NERVOUS DISORDERS
HEART FAILURE
 RESPIRATORY COMPLICATIONS
 KIDNEY MALFUNCTION

IN PIGS, INFECTION IS USUALLY SUBCLINICAL, BUT LARGE WORM BURDENS CAN BE

FATAL IN SOME CASES.
TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS
CASE STUDY
 CASE #389
FEBRUARY 2015
A HUNTER PRESENTED WITH ABDOMINAL PAIN AND FEVER,
WHICH LATER DEVELOPED INTO DIFFICULTY OF BREATHING
WITH A NONPRODUCTIVE COUGH AND RASH. AN
INVESTIGATION INTO HIS EATING HABITS REVEALED THAT HE
HAD RECENTLY CONSUMED UNDERCOOKED BEAR MEAT.
BLOOD TESTS REVEALED ELEVATED PERIPHERAL
EOSINOPHIL──WITH SEROLOGIC TESTS PENDING, THE
PATIENT PROVIDED PORTIONS OF THE REMAINING BEAR
MEAT FOR PARASITOLOGICAL TESTING AT THE CDC.
FIGURE (A) SHOWS WHAT WAS OBSERVED
ON A COMPRESSION PREPARATION OF A
SMALL PIECE OF MEAT BETWEEN TWO
SLIDES
 FIGURE (B) SHOWS WHAT WAS OBSERVED
ON A COMPRESSION PREPARATION FROM A
SMALL PIECE OF MEAT THAT HAD BEEN
IMMERSED FOR A FEW HOURS AT 37ºC IN
ARTIFICIAL GASTRIC FLUID CONSISTING OF
PEPSIN, HYDROCHLORIC ACID, AND WATER.
BOTH FIGURES WERE TAKEN AT
200X MAGNIFICATION
BASED ON WHAT CRITERIA?
WHAT IS THE DIAGNOSIS?
 THIS WAS A CASE OF
TRICHINELLOSIS CAUSED BY
TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS
THE OBJECTS SHOWN IN THE IMAGES
WHERE LARVAE OF TRICHINELLA SP.
ENCAPSULATED WITHIN THE BEAR’S
MUSCLE TISSUE. SUBSEQUENT
MOLECULAR TESTING (PCR FOLLOWED
BY SEQUENCING ANALYSIS) PROVIDED
THE SPECIES-LEVEL IDENTIFICATION.
 DIAGNOSIS
MUSCLE BIOPSY MAY BE USED FOR
TRICHINOSIS DETECTION
SEVERAL IMMUNODIAGNOSTIC TESTS
 IN PIGS, ELISA TESTING IS POSSIBLE AS A
METHOD OF DIAGNOSIS.
 TREATMENT
COMMONLY USED:
1. MEBENDAZOLE
2. ALBENDAZOLE

SYMPTOMS CAN BE RELIEVED BY USE OF:

3. ANALGESICS
4. CORTICOSTEROIDS

ANTHELMINTIC CAN TREAT AND PREVENT TRICHINELLA INFECTIONS.

 PREVENTION AND CONTROL

INFECTION BY TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS IS OBTAINED

BY EATING UNDERCOOKED MEAT INFECTED WITH
LARVAE. THUS, COOKING THE MEAT (ESPECIALLY
PORK AND BEAR MEAT) WELL TO KILL THE
INFECTIVE LARVE WILL PREVENT ONE FROM
ACQUIRING AN INFECTION.
 REFERENCES
o (2015, FEBRUARY). CASE #389. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTP://WWW.CDC.GOV/DPDX/MONTHLYCASESTUDIES/2015/CASE389.HTML

o (2012, AUGUST 8). PARASITES-TRICHINELLOSIS (ALSO KNOWN AS TRICHINOSIS). RETRIEVED FROM

HTTP://WWW.CDC.GOV/PARASITES/TRICHINELLA/BIOLOGY.HTML

o (2017, DECEMBER 19). TRICHINELLOSIS. RETRIEVED FROM HTTP://WWW.CDC.GOV/DPDX/TRICHINELLOSIS/INDEX.HTML

o GAGLIARDO, L.F. MCVAY , C.S. APPLETON, J.A. (2001, DECEMBER 27). MOLTING, ECDYSIS AND REPRODUCTION OF
TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS ARE SUPPORTED IN VITRO BY INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELLS. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTPS://IAI.ASM.ORG/CONTENT/70/4/1853

o (1976, DECEMBER 1). HABITAT AND REPRODUCTIVE OF TRICHINELLA SPIRALIS. RETRIEVED FROM
HTTP://EUROPEPMC.ORG/ABSTRACT/MED/1003275
 GROUP 2
BSN 1-A

ANDRES, KIMBERLY G.
CAINGLET, SHANNEN MARIE V.
COPE, GEL MARIE O.
ESCONDE, YVONNE KEITHLENE
JARALVE, DARLYN T.
MACALALAD, PATRICK C.
NILLAS, NIKKA F.
SARIA, ANNE SHARIA B.