People across several states have contracted a parasitic illness that made them violently ill after they all ate bear meat.
Nine family members gathered in South Dakota and shared a meal of black bear meat and grilled vegetables.
A week later, six of them across Arizona, Minnesota and South Dakota began experiencing muscle aches, vomiting and fevers and were suspected of having contracted trichinellosis.
Trichinellosis, also called trichonisus, is a parasitic disease people get by eating raw or undercooked meat that is infected with a microscopic parasite worm called trichinella.
Despite bear meat being a bizarre meal to most, on TikTok a number of adventurous eaters have shown themselves preparing the meat, although many do warn of the risk of failing to cook it through properly
Around July 2022, the family members ate the bear meat, which was originally served rare because the dark color of the meat made it hard for them to determine the level of doneness.
After some of the group started to eat the meat and noticed it was undercooked, the meat was cooked more before being served again.
The bear meat had been harvested by a family member in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, in May 2022.
A week after the reunion, a 29-year-old family member began feeling ill with a fever, severe muscle pain and puffy eyes.
He sought medical care for his symptoms four times, and was hospitalized twice within 17 days.
The bear meat was originally served rare because the dark color of the meat made it hard for the family to work out the level of doneness
On his second stay in the hospital, he told doctors he had eaten bear meat, and he was treated with albendazole, an FDA-approved medication for parasitic worm infections.
The other confirmed case was a 12-year-old girl who suffered the same symptoms.
Four other probable cases were found in two women, aged 29 and 54, and two men, aged 57 and 62.
The women had only eaten the vegetables, though they had been cooked and served with the bear meat.
All of the patients recovered. Tests done on the remaining meat found it contained trichinella larvae.
The CDC warned that adequate cooking is the only reliable way to kill trichinella parasites.
Despite bear meat being a less-than-common meat to eat for most, on TikTok a number of adventurous eaters have shown themselves preparing the meat, although many do warn of the risk of failing to cook it through properly.
While it is legal to have and eat bear meat in America, it is illegal to sell it. It is also illegal to hunt bears in some states.
Trichinellosis is a parasitic infection usually caused by consuming undercooked or raw meat, usually pork.
Mild cases can get better on their own, but serious cases can result in death without treatment.
The infection can be treated with anti-parasitic drugs.
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