Trichinosis is caused by eating raw or undercooked pork and wild game infected with the larvae of a parasitic worm.The contaminated meat is infected with the larvae of a worm called Trichinella spiralis. The initial symptoms of trichinosis are abdominal discomfort ,nausea, diarrhea ,vomiting , fatigue , and fever.The severity of symptoms depends on the number of infectious worms consumed in the meat.Never eat raw or undercooked pork or wild game.If you think you may have trichinosis, seek medical attention.Most trichinosis infections have minor symptoms and do not require any treatment as all symptoms resolve without treatment. In those with more intense symptoms, thiabendazole (Mintezol) can be used to eliminate the adult worms in the gastrointestinal tract. Albendazole (Albenza) is another drug that may be used in some cases. The invasive and encysted larva forms of Trichinella species are treated by mebendazole (Vermox). Inflammation of infected tissues is usually treated with prednisone and is frequently used in combination with mebendazole. The major risk factor for contracting trichinosis is eating raw or undercooked pork or wild game such as bear meat, wild boar meat, or other carnivore meat. The risk of developing infection is related to the amount of larvae ingested. About 10 larvae per gram of meat (muscle) ingested result in a mild infection, about 50-500 result in a moderate infection, while over 1,000 result in a severe infection. Consequently, reducing or eliminating the number of larvae in infected meat reduces both the risk and severity of infection. This is accomplished by cooking meat to a uniform temperature of 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher for at least a few minutes to kill encysted larvae. Freeze pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5 F (-15 C). However, this freezing technique for wild game meat may not be effective, as Trichinella in wild animals is usually not as susceptible to freeze killing.