Nothing could be more natural — and more American — than hunting and preparing your game for a family meal. But a frightening incident in South Dakota serves as a warning that hunters must also be well informed about that preparation. Six members of a family in were struck with a life-threatening illness in 2022 after a family cookout where wild game was served, according to .
Four members of the family ended up contracting roundworms, a dangerous parasite that can be found in meat. The worms can cause trichinellosis, also known as trichinosis. The worms were ingested from which was mistakenly served undercooked, as the cooking process wasn’t adequate to kill the worms, according to the and Prevention.
The meat, which was sourced from Canada, had been frozen for about 45 days, but the worms were a freeze-resistant strain which reactivated upon thawing. It was also cooked for a while, but put back on the grill when some noticed it didn’t seem thoroughly cooked. But by that point, the worms had already infected the diners.
Worse, six people were infected with the parasites and two didn’t even eat the and only ate vegetables that had been cooked with the meat. Doctors warn that roundworms can be spread easily by cross-contamination from infected meat to other items prepared at the same time. “The meat was initially inadvertently served rare, reportedly because the meat was dark in color, and it was difficult for the family members to visually ascertain the level of d.
