What does trichiniasis mean?
Trichiniasis is a parasitic disease caused by roundworms of the genus Trichinella. People usually contract it by eating raw or undercooked pork or wild game containing infective larvae. Once inside the body, the larvae mature and move through the tissues before becoming encysted in skeletal muscles. The resulting illness may include fever, muscle pain, weakness, headaches, and swelling around the eyes, although severity varies. Trichiniasis is a specialized medical term, but the related name trichinosis is commonly used as an alternative. Cases are generally identified through symptoms, blood tests, and sometimes examination or biopsy of affected muscle tissue. Prompt medical care is important for severe infections. Although trichiniasis can affect anyone who consumes contaminated meat, it is preventable through appropriate cooking and food-handling practices. The word also appears in public-health warnings, clinical reports, and discussions of foodborne disease.
nounAn infection caused by parasitic roundworms of the genus Trichinella, usually acquired by eating raw or undercooked pork or wild game. The larvae migrate into the muscles and can cause fever, muscle pain, swelling around the eyes, and other symptoms.
- The parasitic disease caused by Trichinella larvae, generally contracted through the consumption of raw or undercooked meat.
"Health officials warned diners after several cases of trichiniasis were linked to undercooked wild game."
"The laboratory test confirmed trichiniasis in the patient."
"Properly cooking wild game is important because it can help prevent trichiniasis."
This plural is rarely needed; in ordinary clinical and public-health writing, a count is usually expressed with a phrase such as “cases of trichiniasis.”
"The report documented three trichiniases associated with the same source of contaminated meat."
Undercooked meat can become a hiding place for microscopic larvae that eventually coil themselves inside your muscles.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does trichiniasis come from?
The name combines Greek trichinos, meaning “hairy,” with the medical suffix -iasis, denoting a diseased condition. The related genus name Trichinella is a diminutive form of the same root and refers to the small parasitic worms responsible for the illness. Trichinosis was developed as a parallel medical name for the disease and is now used as its most familiar synonym.
Related word forms
How trichiniasis is actually used
This is a specialized medical term, and its close synonym trichinosis is also widely used in clinical and public-health contexts. The disease itself is sometimes called trichinosis, while Trichinella is properly reserved for the parasitic worm.
Easily confused with trichiniasis
Trichinella is the genus of parasitic roundworms that causes trichiniasis; trichiniasis names the disease rather than the organism.
Trichinosis is a widely used synonym for trichiniasis and refers to essentially the same condition.