trichinosis laboratory analysis

[stosto]

Has anyone on here had their bear meat or blood analyzed for trichinosis? If so, can you provide some info about where, how much and the process?

Cheers
r.

[r106]

I thought i've heard of a place in abbotsford that does it but I'm not 100% sure. I wouldn't even worry about it ( i don't ) just practice basic food safe and cook to 160°

[Sylus]

Are you particularly worried about a bear you tagged?

[IslandWanderer]

If positive, would you throw the meat out?

[RyoTHC]

If positive, would you throw the meat out?

That's a really good question.. I'd be on the fence, but let's be honest if I'm going to get it, it'll be when I dress or butcher the bear as without fail I cut myself each time lol

[Treed]

I’d assume a bear has trichinosis before hunting for it. You have to cook them all the same anyway.

[Sylus]

That's a really good question.. I'd be on the fence, but let's be honest if I'm going to get it, it'll be when I dress or butcher the bear as without fail I cut myself each time lol

I don't see the point in throwing it out. Even if the bear doesn't have tric, it probably has something else. They are scavengers, just go 160, or 170 for good measure and let 'er buck.

Also, as I understand it you wouldn't get tric from getting bear blood or meat in a cut. To get trichinosis you have to ingest a decent amount of the larvae which sit dormant in the meat of the bear in calcified cysts. That is until something ingests it and the stomach acids of that something dissolves the cysts letting the little dudes free. Even so, tric sounds pretty mild to me, in a game of would you rather I would take trichinosis over a fair number of other diseases.

[IslandWanderer]

I don't see the point in throwing it out. Even if the bear doesn't have tric, it probably has something else. They are scavengers, just go 160, or 170 for good measure and let 'er buck.

Also, as I understand it you wouldn't get tric from getting bear blood or meat in a cut. To get trichinosis you have to ingest a decent amount of the larvae which sit dormant in the meat of the bear in calcified cysts. That is until something ingests it and the stomach acids of that something dissolves the cysts letting the little dudes free. Even so, tric sounds pretty mild to me, in a game of would you rather I would take trichinosis over a fair number of other diseases.

I cut myself dressing out a bear this spring- still healthy. 20 odd years ago my knife slipped while skinning a yote a buried a good portion of it in my other hand- sweet scar to this day.

[IslandWanderer]

I’d assume a bear has trichinosis before hunting for it. You have to cook them all the same anyway.

This!!! Cook well, quit worrying, and enjoy the meat. I feed bear to my young son without concern.

[RackStar]

The best way would be to stop eating filthy animals such as a bear

[sillyghillie]

That's a really good question.. I'd be on the fence, but let's be honest if I'm going to get it, it'll be when I dress or butcher the bear as without fail I cut myself each time lol

You cannot contract trichinosis via open cut. The larvae need to be digested in order to transfer to human host. The larvae are present in the skeletal muscle tissue. I have accidently cut myself a few times while butchering bear. it happens

[sillyghillie]

I don't see the point in throwing it out. Even if the bear doesn't have tric, it probably has something else. They are scavengers, just go 160, or 170 for good measure and let 'er buck.

Also, as I understand it you wouldn't get tric from getting bear blood or meat in a cut. To get trichinosis you have to ingest a decent amount of the larvae which sit dormant in the meat of the bear in calcified cysts. That is until something ingests it and the stomach acids of that something dissolves the cysts letting the little dudes free. Even so, tric sounds pretty mild to me, in a game of would you rather I would take trichinosis over a fair number of other diseases.


Correctamundo!!

[Onesock]

Why would anyone knowingly eat worms?? There is only one thing to do with a bear!!!

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

I don't believe the lab does this anymore. There was a thread here on HBC years back that mentioned it. I made a phone call or few and was told the lab is no longer there/offering the test and to simply presume that all Bear have trich and to handle/cook the meat accordingly.

[Island Idiots]

Why would anyone knowingly eat worms?? There is only one thing to do with a bear!!!

If you eat meat, you eat worms. Hopefully dead ones. Mmmmmmmm

[Dannybuoy]

The best way would be to stop eating filthy animals such as a bear
Better stop eating pork ( trich)Turkey ( salmonella) as well then ... kidding , just cook it properly

[RackStar]

Dog food, if the pooch will even eat it lol.


No clue how you guys can enjoy bear meat knowing it could be infested with worms.

Il stick to a moose deer elk diet

[Piperdown]

I cut myself dressing out a bear this spring- still healthy. 20 odd years ago my knife slipped while skinning a yote a buried a good portion of it in my other hand- sweet scar to this day.

The point in red could be up for debate :)

[tigrr]

You should stop shooting bears if you don't do the homework and learn how to process and cook it. Tric is only released when your stomach acids break down the casing around the worm. Cooking kills the dormant worm. It is not in the blood.
Liver fluke in moose, tric in pigs and a host of things in rabbits.

[RyoTHC]

You should stop shooting bears if you don't do the homework and learn how to process and cook it. Tric is only released when your stomach acids break down the casing around the worm. Cooking kills the dormant worm. It is not in the blood.
Liver fluke in moose, tric in pigs and a host of things in rabbits.

Well, I don't need to know much about trich at all to know to cook my meat property, doesn't really hurt me thinking I could have got it from the blood, if anything it just made me be more careful lol

Worms or otherwise I'll never stop shooting bears, they are delicious, if I got one that was sub par is grind it all up and cook it / feed it to my dogs. Nothing goes to waste here.

[caddisguy]

Definitely can't get trichinosis from a cut.

The only reason bear meat should be tested is if it is accidentally consumed raw or under cooked.

Definitely no point testing it just to find out if the meat has it. 15-20% of bears in southern BC have it and as many as 80% up north.

So the test comes back positive which indicates you need to cook it through? Newsflash, trichinella is just one of dozens of reasons bear must be cooked properly. It's not like it's safe to eat a medium rare bear steak just because it tested negative for one of many parasites.

Absolutely no point in testing meat unless it was accidentally eaten raw or undercooked.

There was an FB post a year or two ago where a toddler got into the fridge and started chowing down on raw bear meat (savage!) ... the hospital sent it off for testing. That is one case where testing meat makes sense to me.

[wideopenthrottle]

Why would anyone knowingly eat worms?? There is only one thing to do with a bear!!!
some one referred to the white worms (filarial worms not trich) as spirit worms ....heheheheh

reading the next link may scare you away from meat completely...heheheheh

http://www.bccdc.ca/resource-gallery/Documents/Guidelines%20and%20Forms/Guidelines%20and%20Manuals/Health-Environment/diseases_from_wildlife_safetymanual1.pdf


not just bears by the way...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nVLiDlzlac

[Arctic Lake]

Just so you fellas know Trich has been just about eradicated in all large scale domestically raised pork .Now for small farm raised hogs that are slop fed Hmmmm I'd think about that !
Arctic Lake

[AllDay]

I have cut myself a couple times when dressing a bear. Buddy told me that if that gives you trichinosis than everyone would have it lol.

I wouldn't throw it out. I assume they all have trichinosis and I cook the meat to 160. I'll feed it to my son as long as it's cooked to 160.

[caddisguy]

I have cut myself a couple times when dressing a bear. Buddy told me that if that gives you trichinosis than everyone would have it lol.

I wouldn't throw it out. I assume they all have trichinosis and I cook the meat to 160. I'll feed it to my son as long as it's cooked to 160.

LOL your buddy is 100% correct.

And your assessment is on point as well. Assume they have trichinosis, cook to temperature and enjoy.

[walks with deer]

not sure if i have ever procccessed a bear without cutting myself..lol not kidding they are alot of work.

[RyoTHC]

not sure if i have ever procccessed a bear without cutting myself..lol not kidding they are alot of work.

It's the damn fat ! I've only managed to cut myself on bears but so far it's been 4/4 of them. Glad I'm safe from trich hahah

[two-feet]

people turn their nose up at bear because of parasites but make satisfied groans as they gobble halibut or salmon...guess what.

[IslandWanderer]

people turn their nose up at bear because of parasites but make satisfied groans as they gobble halibut or salmon...guess what.

Very true, I opened up a fish two years ago and the body cavity was a squirming mess of brown worms.

[ElectricDyck]

I read something, I think from meateater saying the temp that kills trich is actually 130 but the USDA played it safe and said 160...

I love ground bear meat but wouldn't eat it rare..or costco ground beef or chicken..starting to eat my pork a bit pink with a bit of lime though....mmmmm.. I think people blow the trich bear thing out of proportion..its no big deal..

[ElectricDyck]

Fish worms don't bother me either, I caught a big halibut and folks said to cut widely around the stomach, I saved it all, there were a few worms, dead and invisible once cooked..I'm more worried about the mercury from a 60lb halibut than the worms..

[two-feet]

the worms in bear and fish dont bother me but I make damn sure the wife doesnt catch on

[pro 111]

Just something to think about. But lots of moose have tapeworm cysts in there meat. Read about it . its passed on through wold shit in the grass. moose eat the grass , worm goes into there bloodstream and turns into a cyst in the muscle. Wolf kills and eats moose and the cyst turns into a worm in there gut. They shit it out and on the cycle goes . I have personally seen two moose from the peace country with these cysts in there meat.. No more rare moose steaks . lol...
Dog food, if the pooch will even eat it lol.


No clue how you guys can enjoy bear meat knowing it could be infested with worms.

Il stick to a moose deer elk diet

[Cat catcher]

I have never seen a moose in Atlin area not have them, some moose have lots and some younger moose only have a few.

[beaverhunter69]

A good link that was posted before:

https://honest-food.net/on-trichinosis-in-wild-game/

[BCHUNTER21]

if you eat fish then you have eaten tons of worms!

[boxhitch]

...........reading the next link may scare you away from meat completely...heheheheh

http://www.bccdc.ca/resource-gallery/Documents/Guidelines%20and%20Forms/Guidelines%20and%20Manuals/Health-Environment/diseases_from_wildlife_safetymanual1.pdf

not just bears by the way...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nVLiDlzlac

Cuts and wounds can get you Brucellosis from near everything, Elk moose deer etc contact with blood and organs
https://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/exposure/hunters.html

[LBM]

Cuts and wounds can get you Brucellosis from near everything, Elk moose deer etc contact with blood and organs
https://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/exposure/hunters.html

This one seems more likely to catch, do you no any one that has caught it or cases of it.

[boxhitch]

two with blood infections , not sure whether sepsis or specific to bruce

that link is actually a real good one to read

[twoSevenO]

The best way would be to stop eating filthy animals such as a bear

I thought you hunted bears ... or at least used to?

[russm86]

Dog food, if the pooch will even eat it lol.


No clue how you guys can enjoy bear meat knowing it could be infested with worms.

Il stick to a moose deer elk diet

I've shot many moose with Fluke Worms in the legs, if you're paranoid about worms and other things you better quit hunting and stick to the grocery store stuff pumped full of hormones, antibiotics and who knows what else to kill all the nasty stuff at who knows what expense to those eating it...

[russm86]

I read something, I think from meateater saying the temp that kills trich is actually 130 but the USDA played it safe and said 160...

If I recall correctly, I believe the temperature is also dependent on cooking time? Think it all comes down to internal temps but higher temps for shorter times or lower temps longer will both work, I think I have seen a chart somewhere showing this at one time, for the times at which temps. I think 130 will kill it when held for longer time, and I think 150 was where it was killed instantly or something along those lines.

[walks with deer]

not sure if i have ever shot a moose witjout cyst.

[russm86]

Cuts and wounds can get you Brucellosis from near everything, Elk moose deer etc contact with blood and organs
https://www.cdc.gov/brucellosis/exposure/hunters.html

I've started getting into the habit of wearing latex/nitrile gloves underneath a pair of cut-proof/cut-resistant gloves. Partly due to possible infections etc and partly because a bad cut a long ways in the bush can be a problem. For how sharp our hunting and filleting knives are, I stick with a cut resistance rating of level 4 or 5.

[twoSevenO]

I've started getting into the habit of wearing latex/nitrile gloves underneath a pair of cut-proof/cut-resistant gloves. Partly due to possible infections etc and partly because a bad cut a long ways in the bush can be a problem. For how sharp our hunting and filleting knives are, I stick with a cut resistance rating of level 4 or 5.

I wear them simply to keep the meat i'm processing clean from my dirty hands.

[warnniklz]

If positive, would you throw the meat out?

The other side to that is, if it came back negative, would you eat it rare-medium rare?

I play with fire often when I cook bear meat for myself. It's for other people, I'll always make sure it's properly cooked.

[Haydenmk]

I have a question. If I bring my bear meat to a butcher do I have to worry about trichinosis in pepperoni or salami? Im wondering if the process of making this will kill trichinosis.

[r106]

I have a question. If I bring my bear meat to a butcher do I have to worry about trichinosis in pepperoni or salami? Im wondering if the process of making this will kill trichinosis.

No its cooked.

[SF2020]

smokies, pepperoni and salami are all hot smoked so no worries at all!