An Outbreak of Trichinellosis by Consumption of Raw Soft-Shelled Turtle Meat in Korea

Trichinellosis transmission to humans via the consumption of reptile meat is rare worldwide. In Korea, however, 2 such outbreaks, possibly via consumption of soft-shelled turtle meat, have occurred in 2 successive years. In 17 August 2014, 6 patients were admitted to Wonju Severance Christian Hospital complaining of myalgia, fever, and headache. Eosinophilia was the indication of the initial laboratory results, and they were eventually diagnosed as trichinellosis by ELISA. All of the patients worked at the same company and had eaten raw soft-shelled turtle meat at a company dinner 10 days prior to their admission. They were treated with albendazole for 2 weeks, upon which all of their symptoms disappeared. This is the 8th report on human trichinellosis in Korea, and the second implicating raw soft-shelled turtle meat.

Riboflavin-deficient and Trichinella spiralis-induced stresses on plasma corticosterone associated with spermatogenesis in male Wistar rats.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of riboflavin-deficient and Trichinella spiralis-induced stresses on corticosterone associated with spermatogenesis in male Wistar rats. Rats were allocated into 4 groups: Group 1: control; group 2: riboflavin-deficient diet; group 3: T. spiralis infection; group 4: riboflavin deficient diet with T. spiralis infection. This experiment lasted for 12 weeks. Plasma corticosterone was significantly enhanced when exposed to acute riboflavin deficiency and/or T. spiralis infection stress. When the rats were chronically subjected to such stresses, T. spiralis per se had prolonged effects, in a marked increase in corticosterone. T. spiralis per se tended to impact on such sperm characteristics as sperm motility, sperm count and daily sperm production, even defected seminiferous tubules. It was proposed that the Trichinella spiralis-induced stress probably had adverse effects on the level of adrenocortical-testicular axis whenever their habitats on muscle fibers were evident. However, riboflavin-deficient-induced stress had little implication in the adrenocortical-testicular axis.