If you’re going to eat a bear, make sure it’s not rare.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that once the beast has been subdued, all danger has passed. But you might still be in for a scare. The animal’s flesh can be riddled with encased worm larvae, which, upon being eaten, will gladly reproduce in your innards and let their offspring roam the rest of your person, including invading your brain and heart. To defeat these savage squirmers, all one must do is cook the meat to at least 165° Fahrenheit.
But that simple solution continues to be ignored, according to a report today in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. In this week’s issue, health officials in North Carolina report that rare bear meat was served at a November 23 gathering, where at least 22 people ate the meat and at least 10 developed symptoms of a worm infection. Of the 10, six were kids and teens between the ages of 10 and 18.
The infection is from the roundworm Trichinella, which causes trichinellosis. While the infection is rarely fatal, the nematodes tend to burrow out of the bowels and meander through the body, embedding in whatever muscle tissue they come across. A telltale sign of an infection in people is facial swelling, caused when the larvae take harbor in the muscles of the face and around the eyes. Of the 10 ill people in North Carolina, nine had facial swelling.
Local health officials were onto the outbreak when one person developed flu-like symptoms and puzzling facial swelling. They then traced it back to the gathering. The report doesn’t specify what kind of gathering it was but noted that 34 attendees in total were surveyed, from which they found the 22 people who ate the rare meat. The 10 people found with symptoms are technically considered only “probable” cases because the infections were never diagnostically confirmed. To confirm a trichinellosis infection, researchers need blood samples taken after the person recovers to look for antibodies against the parasite. None of the 10 people returned for blood draws.
Enlarge/ A recall notice is posted next to Boar’s Head meats that are displayed at a Safeway store on July 31, 2024, in San Rafael, California.
Federal inspections found 69 violations—many grisly—at the Boar’s Head meat facility at the center of a deadly, nationwide Listeria outbreak that has now killed nine people, sickened and hospitalized a total of 57 across 18 states, and spurred the nationwide recall of more than 7 million pounds of meat.
The Jarratt, Virginia-based facility had repeated problems with mold, water leaks, dirty equipment and rooms, meat debris stuck on walls and equipment, various bugs, and, at one point, puddles of blood on the floor, according to inspection reports from the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Services. The reports were obtained by CBS News through a Freedom of Information Act Request. In all, the reports outline 69 violations just between the dates of August 1, 2023, and August 2, 2024.
The findings in the reports reveal the perfect conditions for the company’s meat to become contaminated with the germ behind the deadly outbreak, Listeria monocytogenes. This is a hardy germ that is ubiquitous in the environment, including in soil and water, and it spreads among people via the fecal-oral route. In healthy people, it usually only causes gastrointestinal infections. But for older people, newborns, and the immunocompromised, it can cause a life-threatening invasive infection with a fatality rate of around 17 percent. It’s also a significant danger to pregnant people, causing miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, and life-threatening infections in newborns.
While it’s always lurking, L. monocytogenes especially plagues the food industry because it has the notable ability to reproduce at refrigerator temperatures—a condition that typically limits the growth of other nasty germs.
Buildup and bugs
In the Boar’s Head facility, L. monocytogenes appeared to have various opportunities to beef up its numbers. For one, the facility had a long track record of trash and meat debris in various places, which was sometimes reported alongside insect sightings. For instance, on June 10, an inspector entered the “pickle vat pump room” and noted “heavy meat buildup” on the walls, which were also crawling with flies and gnats. On the same day, an inspection of a different area found a rollup door with meat buildup on it, and a water pipe over the door leaked a steady stream of water down the wall and onto the floor. There was also a “steady line of ants” and an inventory of ladybugs, a cockroach, and a beetle of some sort. Earlier, on March 13, an inspection of a room next to where netted hams were handled, an inspector found trash and meat protein on the floor, including “whole pork muscles.”
Going back to August 8, 2023, an inspection likewise found processing lines covered in meat particles and trash. “Heavy discolored meat buildup” was found covering a hydraulic pump, and pieces of meat and fat clung to the support braces of a catwalk. An inspection-line scale had meat pieces and trash in it—and it smelled bad. “Multiple instances of meat were found around the department on the floor. As well as standing water containing a brown mud/dirt-like substance,” the inspection read.
The facility had numerous problems with water leaks and condensation, which fits with the other numerous sightings of mold. The facility temporarily fixed water pipe leaks by wrapping the pipes in plastic. On October 26, an inspector noticed a plastic-wrapped pipe in the cure cooler. The plastic was dated August 17, and there was “orange/brown water pooled in the lowest hanging point.”
Bubbles and blood
On January 9, the inspection of a holding cooler found spots of black mold as large as a quarter throughout the room. On July 23, an inspector noticed bubbled paint on the wall around employee hand-washing sinks. The bubbles were filled with water. And under the sinks, the inspector found black mold and pink mildew.
On July 17, the inspector found “green algal growth” in a puddle of standing water in a raw holding cooler. And on July 27, an inspector noted clear liquid leaking out from a square patch on the ceiling. Behind the patch, there were two other patches that were also leaking. An employee came and wiped the liquid away with a sponge, but it returned within 10 seconds. The employee wiped it again, and the liquid again returned within 10 seconds. Meanwhile, a ceiling fan mounted close by was blowing the leaking liquid onto uncovered hams in a hallway outside the room.
To top if off, a report on February 21 found a raw cooler with “ample amounts of blood in puddles on the floor” and a “rancid smell.”
According to USDA documents, the agency has not taken enforcement actions against Boar’s Head, and there is no data available on swab testing for Listeria at the Virginia facility. The plant has been shut down since late July after health investigators found the outbreak strain of L. monocytogenes in unopened containers of Boar’s Head liverwurst.
In a statement updated on August 29, Boar’s Head said, “We are conducting an extensive investigation, working closely with the USDA and government regulatory agencies, as well as with the industry’s leading food safety experts, to determine how our liverwurst produced at our Jarratt, Virginia facility was adulterated and to prevent it from happening again… We will not resume operations at this facility until we are confident that it meets USDA regulatory standards and Boar’s Head’s highest quality and safety standards.”
To date, 57 people across 18 states have been sickened, all of whom required hospitalization. A total of eight have died. The latest tally makes this the largest listeriosis outbreak in the US since 2011, when cantaloupe processed in an unsanitary facility led to 147 Listeria infections in 28 states, causing 33 deaths, the CDC notes.
The new cases and deaths come after a massive recall of more than 7 million pounds of Boar’s Head meat products, which encompassed 71 of the company’s products. That recall was announced on July 30, which itself was an expansion of a July 26 recall of an additional 207,528 pounds of Boar’s Head products. By August 8, when the CDC last provided an update on the outbreak, the number of cases had hit 43, with 43 hospitalizations and three deaths.
In a media statement Wednesday, the CDC says the updated toll of cases and deaths is a “reminder to avoid recalled products.” The agency noted that the outbreak bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes, is a “hardy germ that can remain on surfaces, like meat slicers, and foods, even at refrigerated temperatures. It can also take up to 10 weeks for some people to have symptoms of listeriosis.” The agency recommends that people look through their fridges for any recalled Boar’s Head products, which have sell-by dates into October.
If you find any recalled meats, do not eat them, the agency warns. Throw them away or return them to the store where they were purchased for a refund. The CDC and the US Department of Agriculture also recommend that you disinfect your fridge, given the germs’ ability to linger.
L. monocytogenes is most dangerous to people who are pregnant, people age 65 years or older, and people who have weakened immune systems. In these groups, the bacteria are more likely to move beyond the gastrointestinal system to cause an invasive listeriosis infection. In older and immunocompromised people, listeriosis usually causes fever, muscle aches, and tiredness but may also cause headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or seizures. These cases almost always require hospitalization, and 1 in 6 die. In pregnant people, listeriosis also causes fever, muscle aches, and tiredness but can also lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or a life-threatening infection in their newborns.
Enlarge/ Shelves sit empty where Boar’s Head meats are usually displayed at a Safeway store on July 31, 2024, in San Anselmo, California.
Over 7 million pounds of Boar’s Head brand deli meats are being recalled amid a bacterial outbreak that has killed two people. The outbreak, which began in late May, has sickened a total of 34 people across 13 states, leading to 33 hospitalizations, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
On June 26, Boar’s Head recalled 207,528 pounds of products, including liverwurst, beef bologna, ham, salami, and “heat and eat” bacon. On Tuesday, the Jarratt, Virginia-based company expanded the recall to include about 7 million additional pounds of meat, including 71 different products sold on the Boar’s Head and Old Country brand labels. The products were sold nationwide.
The meats may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne pathogen that is particularly dangerous to pregnant people, people over the age of 65, and people with compromised immune systems. Infections during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or a life-threatening infection in newborns. For others who develop invasive illness, the fatality rate is nearly 16 percent. Symptoms of listeriosis can include fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions that are sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms.
The problem was discovered when the Maryland Department of Health—working with the Baltimore City Health Department—collected an unopened liverwurst product from a retail store and found that it was positive for L. monocytogenes. In later testing, the strain in the liverwurst was linked to those isolated from people sickened in the outbreak.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, six of the 34 known cases were identified in Maryland, and 12 were identified in New York. The other 11 states have only reported one or two cases each. However, the CDC expects the true number of infections to be much higher, given that many people recover without medical care and, even if people did seek care, health care providers do not routinely test for L. monocytogenes in people with mild gastrointestinal illnesses.
In the outbreak so far, there has been one case in a pregnant person, who recovered and remained pregnant. The two deaths occurred in New Jersey and Illinois.
In a statement on the company’s website, Boar’s Head said that it learned from the USDA on Monday night that L. monocytogenes strain in the liverwurst linked to the multistate outbreak. “Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to immediately and voluntarily expand our recall to include all items produced at the Jarratt facility. We have also decided to pause ready-to-eat operations at this facility until further notice. As a company that prioritizes safety and quality, we believe it is the right thing to do.”
The USDA said it is “concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators and in retail deli cases.” The USDA, the company, and CDC warn people not to eat the recalled products. Instead, they should either be thrown away or returned to the store where they were purchased for a full refund. And if you’ve purchased one of the recalled products, the USDA also advises you to thoroughly clean your fridge to prevent cross-contamination.
Enlarge/ American black bear seen along the Red Rock Parkway inside Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada.
In the summer of 2022, a family gathered in South Dakota for a reunion that included a special meal—kabobs made with the meat of a black bear that one of the family members had “harvested” from northern Saskatchewan, Canada, that May. Lacking a meat thermometer, the family assessed the doneness of the dark-colored meat by eye. At first, they accidentally served it rare, which a few family members noticed before a decision was made to recook it. The rest of the reunion was unremarkable, and the family members departed to their homes in Arizona, Minnesota, and South Dakota.
But just days later, family members began falling ill. One, a 29-year-old male in Minnesota, sought care for a mysterious illness marked by fever, severe muscle pains, swelling around his eyes (periorbital edema), high levels of infection-fighting white blood cells (eosinophilia, a common response to parasites), and other laboratory anomalies. The man sought care four times and was hospitalized twice in a 17-day span in July. It wasn’t until his second hospitalization that doctors learned about the bear meat—and then it all made sense.
The doctors suspected the man had a condition called trichinellosis and infection of Trichinella nematodes (roundworms). These dangerous parasites can be found worldwide, embedded into the muscle fibers of various carnivores and omnivores, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But, it’s quite rare to find them in humans in North America. Between 2016 and 2022, there were seven outbreaks of trichinellosis in the US, involving just 35 cases. The majority were linked to eating bear meat, but moose and wild boar meat are also common sources.
Enlarge/ Microscopic examination of encapsulated larvae in a direct black bear meat muscle squash prep (A), larvae liberated from artificially digested bear meat (B), and motile larvae viewed with differential interference contrast microscopy (C and D)from black bear meat suspected as the source of an outbreak of human Trichinellanativa infections—Arizona, Minnesota, and South Dakota, 2022.
Once eaten, larvae encased in the meat are released and begin to invade the small intestines (the gastrointestinal phase), causing pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Then, the larvae develop into adults in the gut, mate, and produce more larvae there. The second generation of worms then go wandering through the lymphatic system, into the blood, and then throughout the body (systemic phase). The larvae can end up all over, reaching skeletal muscles, the heart, and the brain, which is rich in oxygen. The systemic phase is marked by fever, periorbital edema, muscle pain, heart inflammation, and brain inflammation. The larvae can also provoke severe eosinophilia, particularly when they move into the heart and central nervous system.
The man’s symptoms fit the case, and several tests confirmed the parasitic infection. Of eight interviewed family members present for the bear-meat meal, six people had illnesses matching trichinellosis (ranging in age from 12 to 62), and three of them were hospitalized, including the 12-year-old. Four of the six sickened people had eaten the bear meat, while two only ate vegetables that were cooked alongside the meat and cross-contaminated. Experts at the CDC obtained leftover frozen samples of the bear meat, which revealed moving larvae. Testing identified the worm as Trichinella nativa, a species that is resistant to freezing.
In an outbreak study published Thursday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, health officials from Minnesota and the CDC reported that the three hospitalized patients were treated with the anti-parasitic drug albendazole and recovered. The remaining three cases fortunately recovered without treatment. The health experts noted how tricky it can be to identify and diagnose these rare cases but flagged periorbital edema and the eosinophilia as being key clinical clues to the grizzly infections. And, above all, people who are going to eat wild game meat should invest in a meat thermometer and make sure the meat is cooked to at least ≥165° F (≥74° C) to avoid risking brain worms.
