Parasite
Trichinella spiralis
Encysted muscle larvae from undercooked pork
trik-ih-NEL-uh spih-RAL-iss
High-yield clue
Undercooked pork (or wild game) leads to larvae encysting in skeletal muscle, with periorbital edema, myalgia, and marked eosinophilia.
Overview
A tissue nematode acquired by eating undercooked meat containing encysted larvae, the classic study model linking foodborne roundworm infection to muscle disease.
Classification
- Nematode (roundworm)
- Larvae encyst in striated skeletal muscle
- Zoonotic, foodborne
- No egg stage passed in stool
Lab & identification clues
- Encysted larvae in muscle biopsy vocabulary
- Marked peripheral eosinophilia
- Serologic (antibody) testing concept
Associations
- Undercooked pork or wild-game consumption
- Periorbital/facial edema and myalgia vocabulary
- Splinter hemorrhages association
- Trichinellosis public-health framing
Commonly confused with
- Taenia species
- Toxocara species
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.