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Trichinella and polar bears: a limited risk for humans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 April 2017

J. Dupouy-Camet ,
P. Bourée  and
H. Yera
J. Dupouy-Camet*
Affiliation:
18 route des Brûleries, 89500, Armeau, France
P. Bourée
Affiliation:
Parasitologie–Mycologie, Hôpital Cochin, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, 27 rue du Faubourg St Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
H. Yera
Affiliation:
Parasitologie–Mycologie, Hôpital Cochin, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Paris Descartes, 27 rue du Faubourg St Jacques, 75014, Paris, France
*
*E-mail: jean.dupouy-camet@orange.fr
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Abstract

In this review, we identified 63 cases reported since World War II of human trichinellosis linked to the consumption of parasitized polar bear (Ursus maritimus) meat. This low number contrasts to the numerous cases of human trichinellosis related to consumption of the meat of black (U. americanus) or brown bears (U. arctos). The prevalence of Trichinella infection is high in bears, but larval muscular burden is usually lower in polar bears compared to other bear species. Polar bears, therefore, seem to play a limited role in the transmission of trichinellosis to humans, as native residents living in the Arctic traditionally consume well-cooked bear meat, and travellers and foreign hunters have only limited access to this protected species due to the declining polar bear population.

Type
Special Issue Articles
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 91 , Issue 4 , July 2017 , pp. 440 - 446
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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