A cluster of three cases of trichinellosis linked to bear meat consumption in the Arctic

Abstract

We report here three cases of trichinellosis due to polar bear meat consumption in East Greenland. In the past 20 years, 31 cases of trichinellosis have been reported in French travellers to the Arctic (North Quebec, Nunavut and Greenland) who consumed undercooked meat from black, brown, or polar bears. If local communities are increasingly becoming aware of the risk of trichinellosis, travellers visiting regions where bear meat is consumed should be informed of the risk of eating raw or non-heat-processed meats.

A common source for a trichinellosis outbreak reported in France and Serbia in 2017

“…Such an immunity has been observed in Inuit populations having frequent contact with infected meat [25]. We recently reported three cases of trichinellosis related to consumption of polar bear meat in East Greenland [26]. One of the three cases had no clinical signs but only elevated eosinophils.…”

Wildmeat consumption and zoonotic spillover: contextualising disease emergence and policy responses

“…Recreational activities that exposed index patients to wild animals were also documented, including recreational hunting 27 and tourism. 28 …”

Culture, eating behavior, and infectious disease control and prevention

“…Human infections are strictly related to cultures, where dietary habits include consumption of meat from wild animals. Many cases of trichinellosis have been reported in the Arctic (North Quebec, Nunavut, and Greenland) due to eating meat and products from black, brown, or polar bears [ 48 ]. In November 2014, a large outbreak of trichinellosis occurred in Belgium, related to the consumption of imported wild boar meat [ 49 ].…”