TRICHIXELLID.E 305 



A persistent diarrhea follows whicli is at first liunp\-, then watery and 

 of bad odor. With these symptoms there may also be those of colic. 

 In general the symptoms are those of an entero-peritonitis and they 

 continue over several weeks during which time the animal may die. 



In from one to two weeks the larvae are penetrating the muscular 

 tissue, and muscular trichinosis has set in. The animal now lies upon its 

 side, or, if it moves about, it is in a stiff, halting, and painful manner. 

 The respiration is superficial, the voice husky, and chewing and swallow- 

 ing difficult. 



With the coming to rest and encapsulation of the larvie the animals, 

 in most cases, gradually' recover. Where there has been exceptionally 

 heavy infestation edema may appear in various parts of the body; 

 such a development is usually followed by death. 



Prophylaxis. — IVIost all cases of infection of man with trichina are 

 from eating trichinosed pork, the swine usually becoming infected by 

 eating the trichinous flesh of other swine or that of affected rats and 

 mice. Knowing these facts, prevention is made relatively simple. 

 Places where hogs are kept should be freed from rats, and the flesh of 

 animals subject to nuiscular trichinosis should not be fed to hogs un- 

 less it has been thoroughh- cooked. According to Leuckart, trichinae 

 are killed at a temperature between 62° and 70° C. (143°-158° F.). 

 These degrees of heat nuist be continued sufficiently to penetrate the 

 entire piece of meat, a white or light gray cut surface indicating that the 

 cooking has been sufficient. 



Treatment.— Treatment is ineffectual. In the case of such an ex- 

 tremely rare occurrence as the early diagnosis of intestinal trichinosis, 

 the administration of anthelmintics followed ])y purgatives might be 

 of some value, but the deep location of the mature worms in the crypts 

 of the mucosa affords them a high degree of protection against such 

 agents. 



