Do bears have trichinosis??????

[Jason Melo]

Going on an upcoming bear hunt in may and was just wondering if it is true if some bears have trichinosis and how to tell if they do and also if it is safe to eat the meat?


Thanx: Jason

[dutchie]

cook it really really really good... and it should be good to eat...

It looks like little white worms in the meat I belive (I have never seen it but this is what i was told), that is the inital way you can tell if it is Trichinosis.

dutchie

[wolverine]

The meat actually has to be tested by a lab to before a determination of Trichinosis is made. Any animal can be infected with parasites, that doesn't mean they have trichinosis. To be safe cook the meat well done like you would pork or chicken. No pink showing, none. Use a lower heat setting and go for the slow well done look. If you cook it too high a temp it will just dry out. Barding the meat with maple smoked bacon is good. Keeps it moist and makes for a killer gravy with a roast too.

The other, less practical thing is to keep it frozen for 6 months. Trich will not withstand the freezing but as I said, less practical. The guys down at the lab in Abbotsford said a few years back that there has never been a reported case of Trichinosis in bear meat since they have been there. Pork yes, bears no. So follow the rules and you'll be fine.

[Kirby]

Yes, bears can have tric, treat it like pork, cook it well.

I think its 165 F(Not positive). They say freezing will get rid of it, but thats only in Pork, not wild game.

Kirby

[yukon john]

Trichinosis is a worm that, in healthy a host, will end up trapped in a cyst often in the liver. Later the cyst may break open and spread eggs troughout the body the eggs will block the blood in the small veins located in the brain or heart just like a stroke or heart attack. My great grandma was in a comma for 3 months from eating raw pork sausage and thats how it was explained to me. Also the little white worms commonly found in bears and other omnivores is called a round worm I believe and is easily killed by cooking. I heard trichinosis can be killed by 3 months in freezing.

[Wildfoot]

cook to an internal temp of 165. That will kill off any trich.

Just handle bear meat like pork and you should be fine.

[jeeper]

Had me worried reading this and that its in pork . I eat my pork on the medium rare side all the time !

Heres a good link http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/trichinosis/factsht_trichinosis.htm

12 cases of tric a year in the usa due to pork , Ille still take my chance and eat it med rare !

Bruce

[ve7iuq]

Don't count on freezing killing trichinosis in bear meat.
This from Google.

Freezing of pork meat to a temperature of -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) for one week reportedly kills the encysted larvae. However, this freezing technique for wild game meat may not be effective, as Trichinella in wild animals is usually not as susceptible to freeze killing. Other cooking methods such as microwaving, smoking, or salting meat often fail to kill the encysted larvae and thus the risk of getting trichinosis from meat treated by these methods is increased.

[Gateholio]

Trich has just about been eliminated in commercial pork in Canada...I eat it medium all the time.:cool:

[3kills]

Had me worried reading this and that its in pork . I eat my pork on the medium rare side all the time !

Heres a good link http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/trichinosis/factsht_trichinosis.htm

12 cases of tric a year in the usa due to pork , Ille still take my chance and eat it med rare !

Bruce


u probably will never find a case of tric in comercial pork in canada then again alot of grocery stores dont sell canadain pork..lots of it is importated from the us...we just started to bring in more and more canadain pork...

[jml11]

If I remember correctly Trich can be found within cysts encapsulated within muscle tissue and the worms are not released until the cysts are broken down by digestive processes in humans. I believe the worms are also quite small, microscopic actually, so I don't think you will see active trichinosis roundworms on or in the meat of a bear once you kill it, these are most likely a different type of worm (spring bears are often full of worms...). I don't think you can determine without lab tests, if an animal carries trichinosis (and maybe why occasionally people get it from preccessed pork??), so just because you see a few white worms on the bear don't assume it has trich. I have never heard of a trichinosis case in BC but to be safe, just make sure you cook the meat thoroughly.

[Wildfoot]

haha a friend of mine eats all his GROUND pork products med-rare! A med-rare tenderloin I could eat.. but not ground!

[houndogger]

Is there a cure for Trich if you were to get it?

[Jason Melo]

when u cut open the bear to gut it where do u mostly find the worms?. I've heard of them being around the armpit area or the gut is this true?

[yukon john]

usually when your skinning it you will see them between the hide and the meat, most bears have em if you look long enough. Ive never found concentrations except in the stomach but those were different worms

[mcrae]

check this link out if it works...

we have thread every year on worms and bears...


http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/bear_filarial_worm.htm

[Look74]

I dont care where pork comes from its still pork. Cook it well. be on the safe side.

[BearSniper]

The best way to tell if a Bear has Trichnosis before shooting it is to sample the scats. A slightly peppry taste will indicate trichnosis.

Another way is to sneak up on the Bear and bite it real hard in the ass and, again, if you taste pepper, don't shoot.;)


Sorry for being a smart ass, I couldn't resist:lol:


Shoot any good sized Bear that does not dine at the garbage dump, and cook thoroughly.

[jml11]

usually when your skinning it you will see them between the hide and the meat, most bears have em if you look long enough. Ive never found concentrations except in the stomach but those were different worms

This is where I have seen them too, stringy white worms slithering around in between the meat and the connective tissue/membrane on the outside of the meat. I've only seen (noticed) this once, but they were not specific to a certain area, they were all over.

[mcrae]

Bear Filarial Worm

Causative Agent

Parasitic disease of bears caused by infection with the long, hair-like nematode (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Roundworm%20%28Nematoda%29) or filarial worm (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Roundworm%20%28Nematoda%29), Dirofilaria ursi.
Click on the link below for photo .
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources photo (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases/dirofilaria_ursi_image1l.htm)
Distribution
Geographic:
Bear filarial worms (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Roundworm%20%28Nematoda%29) have been recorded black bears in both Canada and the United States.Seasonality:
Throughout the year.Hosts, Transmission and Life Cycle

Adult D. ursi worms tend to occur beneath the skin in the area of the neck and groin, and in the connective tissues (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Connective%20tissue) around the aorta, kidneys, and rectum.

Adult female worms produce motile larvae called microfilaria (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Microfilaria) measuring 0.19 to 0.29 mm in length that enter the circulatory system of the bear where they remain until ingested by a blackfly.

Following a 2-week period within the blackfly, larvae become infective to bears. Larvae enter the new host as the fly begins taking a blood meal.

Larvae migrate to preferred locations within bears where they mature and eventually mate.

A 7-month period of time is required for the female worms to produce microfilaria (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Microfilaria) and complete the life cycle.

Signs and Symptoms


Adult D. ursi worms are white and slender and can range in size from 5 to 22 cm long.

D. ursi does not appear to cause disease in bears or other species.

Meat Edible?


Infection with D. ursi does not affect the quality of the meat.

Human Health Concerns and Risk Reduction


There are no reports of any adverse reactions in humans bitten by blackflies containing microfilaria (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Microfilaria).

While rare, infection with D. ursi, resulting in the formation of small, subcutaneous (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Subcutaneous) nodules (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Nodule), has been reported in humans.

Samples for Diagnosis


D. ursi infections can be diagnosed either by examining blood smears for microfilariae (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Microfilaria) or by finding the adults in preferred locations beneath the skin or surrounding internal organs of bears.

Because microfilaria (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Microfilaria) of other types of filarid worms (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm#Roundworm%20%28Nematoda%29) may be present, identifying the adult worms as D. ursi is the most accurate method of diagnosis.

Further Reading
Michigan Department of Natural Resources - bear filarial worm information (http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/1,1607,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26367--,00.html)
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources - bear filarial worm information (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases/dirofilaria_ursi.htm)
Elkin, B, and R. L. Zamke. 2001. Common wildlife diseases and parasites in Alaska. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Anchorage, AK.
http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/rabbitfooticon.gif (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/classified_causative_agent.htm) http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/cougaricon.gif (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/classified_region_affected.htm) http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/eaglefooticon.gif (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm) http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/mooseicon.gif (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/contact_information.htm) http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/bearfooticon.gif (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/specimen.htm) http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/dogfooticon.gif (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/index.htm) Return to index of diseases classified according to causative agent (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/classified_causative_agent.htm) Return to index of diseases classified according to region of body affected (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/classified_region_affected.htm) Glossary (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/glossary.htm) Contact Information (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/contact_information.htm) Disease Surveillance Form Download (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/specimen.htm) Return to Manual Home Page (http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/index.htm)

[puppychow]

Bear meat is not safe for you to eat, but it is safe for me!!!!!!!!! Ha Ha
Freezing the meat well and cooking it well makes it safe. Bear meat has been very good and processessed properly or cooked properly is delicious. The are many members that have some superb recipes. Good luck hunting.

[Manglinmike]

I've seen the long skinny worms ,and i'll tell you that they well make you sick to see them wiggling around in what you thought was dinner!As for tric.,every one that I have talked to over my 30yrs of hunting bears say the same thing freeze em hard for one month and then cook em to at leat 160 deg. f.

[mcrae]

I've seen the long skinny worms ,and i'll tell you that they well make you sick to see them wiggling around in what you thought was dinner!As for tric.,every one that I have talked to over my 30yrs of hunting bears say the same thing freeze em hard for one month and then cook em to at leat 160 deg. f.

Freezing will not be enough to kill the strain that infects bears. Just google it there is lots of info. Well cooked bear meat is always safe...

I posted a link a couple pages up with some info.

[180grainer]

To prevent tric, you must consume the meat while drinking a fine single malt scotch. Drink prior to consumption, during consumption, and after consumption, to ensure the meat is rendered harmless......

[pmj]

Here is the link for testing in Abbotsford.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=22271

[Marc]

I've yet to shoot a bear on the island that hasn't had the Filarial worms in them. If this grosses you out to the point of not wanting to eat the bear then don't bother shooting one on the Island as chances are if you look closely enough you'll find them. This is not an excuse to leave a bear in the woods because it has worms as it has been proven that they have no effect the quality of the meat. I've been eating Island Bears for the past 5 years and they're great eating, just make sure you cook them right.

[Camp Cook]

I don't care how well you cook it I don't eat worms so I don't eat bear.

Why I don't kill many of them...

[mcrae]

I don't care how well you cook it I don't eat worms so I don't eat bear.

Why I don't kill many of them...


Sorry but your in dreamland if you think all the moose,elk,deer,etc we shoot are clean as daisies:smile:.

For what it is worth the Filarial worms that sometimes infect bears are not in the meat....

[Camp Cook]

In my supposed dreamland I've cut up bear and seen worms in the meat never cut up a moose/elk/deer etc and seen the same thing...

[3kills]

well moose elk and deer can and do have worms too...do u eat fish...lets talk about the round worms that are found in cod...

[moosinaround]

Ahhhh welcome the spring blackbear worm threads!! Where's the really gross pictures someone posted up last year?? Dont shoot bears close to civilization(Dumps) and your meat should be fine! Freeze em, and cook em well done, and you are fine!! Some of you are missing out on some excellent table fair! Go and blast em!! Most of them eat fiddle heads, dandylions, grass, berries, and venison! So meat should be tasty! Moosin

[Camp Cook]

Have you ever seen worms in moose/elk/deer I haven't...

Fish? wouldn't eat them either if they were loaded with worms but I've never seen worms in fish either.

Seen worms in bears though... :shock:

[3kills]

ya i have seen worms in deer before and in moose...never elk but i have only ever cut up one or two elk...if u look closely at fish u will see the worms usually in around the belly especially in cod..big fish processin plants use a process called candeling to look for the worms and pick them out and they are allowed to let a certain percent through..

[Camp Cook]

Not me and I have been in on over 120 deer kills shooting 84 of them myself and have never seen a worm in deer meat.

I know there are worms in some fish and I am always careful to check them out but I have never seen worms in them either and yes I fish in both tidal and non-tidal waters but then the only bottom fish I retain are halibut and I target salmon mostly.

Once again I have seen worms in bear and it is a common enough occurance that people talk about it...

[Dannybuoy]

My dad was a BC gov meat inspector for years if little things like worms bother some of you guys you would become vegans if you saw half of what was in the domestic animals that you eat .... uGh !! He still has jars with some of the parasites he found in beef/pork ...

[cndnmike]

All I can say about worms in Bear meat is.... SAUSAGE!!

Just to egg the thread on - it sounds like the freezing of game meat is not a guaranteed fix...

http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/tr/trichinosis.html

[mcrae]

Not me and I have been in on over 120 deer kills shooting 84 of them myself and have never seen a worm in deer meat.

I know there are worms in some fish and I am always careful to check them out but I have never seen worms in them either and yes I fish in both tidal and non-tidal waters but then the only bottom fish I retain are halibut and I target salmon mostly.

Once again I have seen worms in bear and it is a common enough occurance that people talk about it...

Yes I have seen worms in deer. Very similar to the filarial worms I have seen in bears. Not every bear I have shot has had worms in them and not every deer I have shot has had worms in it. Just because you don't see the critters doesn't meant they ain't there:wink: though...

My main beef is its usually a new guy that comes on and asks about hunting bears. Its at this point the "worm" stories start running rampant about bears. Pretty much all wild game will have some sort of critter hanging around inside it, on it, etc... I just don't want a someone not to hunt bears because they think that they are all "infested" with worms cause they heard it on the internet....

The first time I encountered a "wormie" bear I wasn't sure what to do with it. I took the damn thing whole to my meat cutter and asked him "what the hell is wrong with my bear". He just shrugged his shoulders and said " some bears have worms"... He then asked what kind of sausage I want:smile:...

Trichinosis and filarial worms are also two totally different organisms just so people are aware of that as well cause we kinda have two types of "wormie" subjects happening right now.:smile::smile:..

[Camp Cook]

CO freinds of mine tell me to take a few pictures of the bear/worms, keep the hide and throw the rest of the bear out.

The pictures are all of the evidence they need to prove that it is considered inedible.

[mcrae]

CO freinds of mine tell me to take a few pictures of the bear/worms, keep the hide and throw the rest of the bear out.

The pictures are all of the evidence they need to prove that it is considered inedible.

The problem with CO's is what your friend might accept as okay another CO might not. I would be careful offering up advice like that personally....

Besides all you have to do is take it home and after that do what you want with it. My brother is the same as you Camp Cook he will not touch bear meat cause of the "wormies" I ain't trying to get in a pissing match with:smile::smile::smile: just trying to kill time till I can go bear hunting:tongue:

This is the little critter I have encountered in deer...

http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/muscle_worms.htm

[yukon john]

Its true most ungulates have something hanging around inside them especially caribou, every bou I have been in on (6) has been wormie. what you need to remember is that most of our food even fruit and vegetables has eggs, insects and parasites and bacteria that we cant even see our body kills all of these thing so we rarely need to be concerned.

[Camp Cook]

CO freinds of mine tell me to take a few pictures of the bear/worms, keep the hide and throw the rest of the bear out.

The pictures are all of the evidence they need to prove that it is considered inedible.

Ooops meant to add that I have never been told anything like this about any other big game animal by anyone.

[ve7iuq]

Hydatid is a disease that can be deadly to humans and at times in BC, occurs in moose.
Two of us once shot a cow moose (legally) and the lungs looked just like in the picture. The cysts looked like golf balls in the lungs. We took the lungs into the game office, showed it to a biologist and he litterlally recoiled back from it. We were both personal friends of the biologist. He gave us a very stern lecture, telling us if we had cut the cyst sac and a finger, we would be dead within a couple of years.
Because the dog family is one of the hosts, one has to be very aware of handling wolves, since it can be on their hair, near their rear end. By the same token, people in the north were always told not to touch a dog belonging to a native, becuase the dogs were fed moose.


A Field Guide
TO COMMON WILDLIFE DISEASES
AND PARASITES IN ALASKA

CYSTIC HYDATID DISEASE


http://wildlife.alaska.gov/aawildlife/disease/disease_images/internal4.jpg
Two hydatid cysts in moose lungs.

What causes hydatid disease?

Cystic hydatid disease is caused by the larvae of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus.
Lifecycle: The tapeworm needs two hosts: a carnivore (e.g., wolf or dog) and a herbivore (e.g., caribou). The adult tapeworm grows and lays eggs in the intestines of the carnivore. The eggs come out in the carnivore’s droppings and contaminate plants which are eaten by the herbivore. The eggs hatch into larvae that travel to the herbivore’s lungs where they form cysts. Carnivores become infected when they eat lungs that contain cysts.Where does hydatid disease occur?

The adult tapeworm occurs in the intestines of wolves and dogs.
The larval form or cyst occurs in moose, caribou, bison, elk and deer, and can occur in humans.
In Alaska cystic hydatid disease occurs commonly in moose and caribou.

[hunter1947]

Just make sure you cook your bear meat well and you will have no problums.

[eaglesnester]

Going on an upcoming bear hunt in may and was just wondering if it is true if some bears have trichinosis and how to tell if they do and also if it is safe to eat the meat?


Thanx: Jason
In a word YES bears are sometimes infected with tric. Treat all bear meat as if it was infected, this means cooking well to at least 180 degrees F internal temp. for 30 min. contact time You will be fine then.

[island grown]

a few posts back someone had written "spring bears are full of worms". what would the reason for this be? is it from bunkering down for a few months promotes worm growth? thats all i can think of.
this will be the first bear season for me also. just wondering, do most try for a heart/lung shot or a head/neck shot. sorry didn't mean to hijack.
seems to me if your worried about tric or the worms in bear meat you should read all of the links that were posted here. lots of good info,

[mcrae]

island grown I posted a link farther back about the filarial bears in worms they are generally the main culprit for the wormie bear threads. Just click on the link I posted and it explains what you are asking about the worms...

Trichinosis is another type of critter bears can have but you are not going to see it that's why you just need to follow the advice of the other fella's here and cook it well.

As for neck and head shots on bears they will work but I don't recommend them. I go for the heart lung/off shoulder shot...