A case of trichinellosis with spontaneous remission

Abstract

We experienced a case of trichinellosis that had traveled in Kenya. The initial symptoms of the patient were myalgia and fever which started 2 weeks after she came back from Kenya, and blood examination showed marked eosinophilia (14,300/mm3) and elevated creatinine kinase (826IU/L). When we made serological diagnosis of trichinellosis 3 weeks after onset, symptoms started to resolve spontaneously and we observed the patient without any medication. As of 2 months after onset, symptoms and abnormal findings in laboratory data almost disappeared. The patient was speculated to be infected with trichinella spp. by incompletely cooked wild animal meats including alligator, zebra, pig, and ostrich during travel in Kenya. Since high incidence of trichinella infection in both wild and domestic animals has been reported in some areas of developing countries, travelers must be aware that raw or incompletely cooked animal meats can be source of trichinella spp.