no snake necessary for panic

TRICHINELLOSIS, BADGER, HUMAN – RUSSIA (NOVOSIBIRSK)
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A ProMED-mail post

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases

Date: Fri 4 Feb 2005
From: Natalia Pchenitchnaia
Source: News agency “Regions.ru” [trans. Corr.NP; edited]

Trichinellosis (badger), Novosibirsk region, Russia.
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25 inhabitants of Kochkovsky district of Novosibirsk region are
hospitalized with a diagnosis of trichinellosis and 6 of them are in
serious condition in the Hospital for Infectious Diseases, Novosibirsk.

The source of the outbreak is shish kebabs made from badger meat. Patients
assure the attending physicians that shish kebab from a badger is tasty,
exotic, and most important, cheap. But meat from these wild animals, as a
rule, is infected by _Trichinella_, and because shish kebab is often not
thoroughly cooked, the organisms may survive inside the meat.

“We have not previously seen such big outbreak [of trichinellosis] from
badger meat,” said Zinaida Figurenko, a physician in the Department of
Infectious Diseases. However, trichinellosis from pork is frequent.

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ProMED-mail

[The Novosibirsk region is located in a southeast part of the Western
Siberian plains, between the Ob and Irtysh rivers. The total area is 178
000 sq km, and the population approximately 2.7 million. – Corr.NP]

[This is the 1st report in ProMED on _Trichinella_ in badgers in Russia. As
underlined in previous ProMED-mail postings [see for instance
20010118.0144], trichinellosis is widespread in carnivores in Russia — in
wild boar and bears — and also in domestic pigs. We presume that eating
badgers is not commonplace, and therefore they are unlikely to be inspected
by the veterinary service. – Mod.EP]

[see also:
2004
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Trichinellosis – Ukraine (Zhitomirskaya) 20041228.3426
Trichinellosis – Russia (Novosibirsk) 20041207.3252
Trichinellosis – Russia (Kabardino-Balkaria) 20041201.3210
Trichinellosis – Russia (Tulskaya) 20040327.0845
2002
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Trichinellosis – Russia (Siberia) (04) 20021203.5954
2001
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Trichinellosis – Russia (Krasnodar) (02) 20010118.0144
2000
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Foodborne disease, bear meat – Russia: RFI 20000615.0961]
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