Diagnostic Considerations

Early diagnosis of trichinosis is particularly difficult owing to a lack of easily detectable pathognomic signs and symptoms.^[13]Given the nonspecific laboratory parameter of eosinophilia, other parasitic infections to consider include the following:

Strongyloidiasis
Schistosomiasis
Hookworm
Gnathostomiasis
Lymphatic filariasis
Ascariasis
Whipworm

Differential Diagnoses

Workup

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Media Gallery

Encysted larvae of Trichinella species in muscle tissue, stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E). The image was captured at 400X magnification. Courtesy of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Trichinellosis.htm).
Trichinella larvae, in pressed bear meat, partially digested with pepsin. Courtesy of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ((http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Trichinellosis.htm).
Larvae of Trichinella from bear meat. Courtesy of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Trichinellosis.htm).
The number of cases of trichinellosis by age. Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/resources/trichinellosis_surveillance_summary_2015.pdf).
Epidemiology of trichinellosis in the US. Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/resources/trichinellosis_surveillance_summary_2015.pdf).
Reported cases of trichinellosis 2011-2015. Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/trichinellosis/resources/trichinellosis_surveillance_summary_2015.pdf).
Trichinella nurse cell. Courtesy of Dickson Despommier, PhD, and Daniel Griffin, MD, PhD, Parasitic Diseases, 6th Ed, published by Parasites Without Borders (www.parasiteswithoutborders.com).
Life cycle of Trichinella in humans. Courtesy of Dickson Despommier, PhD, and Daniel Griffin, MD, PhD, Parasitic Diseases, 6th Ed, published by Parasites Without Borders (www.parasiteswithoutborders.com).

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Author

Darvin Scott Smith, MD, MSc, DTM&H, FIDSA Chief of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group

Darvin Scott Smith, MD, MSc, DTM&H, FIDSA is a member of the following medical societies: American Medical Association, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Infectious Diseases Society of America, International Society of Travel Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Jeanette Rios Stanford University

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Gianna Jamilecks Nino-Tapias Stanford University

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Received salary from Medscape for employment. for: Medscape.

Chief Editor

John L Brusch, MD, FACP Corresponding Faculty Member, Harvard Medical School

John L Brusch, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

Pranatharthi Haran Chandrasekar, MBBS, MD Professor, Chief of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine

Pranatharthi Haran Chandrasekar, MBBS, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American Society for Microbiology, International Immunocompromised Host Society, Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Stephanie A Nevins Research Assistant, Department of Genetics, Snyder Lab, Stanford University School of Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Lauren E Wedekind Stanford University

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Acknowledgements

Clinton Murray, MD Program Director, Infectious Disease Fellowship, San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium

Clinton Murray, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, American Medical Association, American Society for Microbiology, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Association of Military Surgeons of the US, and Infectious Diseases Society of America

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Sections Trichinosis (Trichinellosis)
Overview
Presentation
- History
- Physical
- Causes
- Complications
- Show All
DDx
Workup
Treatment
Medication
Media Gallery
Tables
References

Species	Distribution	Major Hosts	Reported from Humans
T spiralis	Cosmopolitan	Domestic pigs, wild mammals	Yes
T britovi	Eurasia/Africa	Wild mammals	Yes
T murrelli	North America	Wild mammals	Yes
T nativa	Arctic/subarctic, Palaearctic	Bears, foxes	Yes
T nelsoni	Equatorial Africa	Hyenas, felids	Yes
T pseudospiralis *	Cosmopolitan	Wild mammals, birds	Yes
T papuae *	Papua New Guinea, Thailand	Pigs, crocodiles	Yes
T zimbabwensis *	East and South Africa	Crocodiles, lizards, lions	No
^* Nonencapsulating types

Trichinosis (Trichinellosis) Differential Diagnoses

Diagnostic Considerations

Differential Diagnoses

References

Tables

Contributor Information and Disclosures

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