Today we explore the fascinating—and slightly gross—story of Trichinella, a roundworm that causes trichinellosis (AKA trichinosis). From farmed pork to roadkill bears, Trichinella has a unique life cycle that can involve both livestock and wild game, making it a fun zoonotic disease, or one that can jump from animals to humans. Join me as I go on an unusual field trip to Central Park in search of a spot tied to a crazy story involving RFK Jr. and a bear cub. Along the way, I’ll explain how Trichinella spreads, why it's a risk with undercooked pork or wild meat, and the surprising ways people have contracted it. Please subscribe for more deep dives into the weird world of infectious diseases and evolutionary biology. ---------------------------------- MY OTHER RELEVANT VIDEOS: 🔵 Bubonic plague in the U.S.: https://youtu.be/ja5XIBEOgww 🔵 New York City rat disease: https://youtu.be/w-dZToBEeDc ---------------------------------- TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 Trichinosis / Trichinellosis 00:23 Intro of topic and me, Christina Bergey 00:44 Buying a hot dog to talk about pork worms 01:14 Trichinellosis in humans 01:57 Low Trichinella rates in U.S. pigs 02:14 Cooking to kill pork parasites 02:47 Eating the wrong meat 02:59 Finding the bear RFK dumped in Central Park 04:27 Trichinosis from bear and other wild animals 04:58 Recent Trichinosis cases ---------------------------------- LINKS AND REFERENCES: 🔴 Good overview of Trichinosis and why it’s so persistent: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-7519(00)00132-6 🔴 An argument for eating pork medium rare, featuring Mr. Guy Fieri: https://www.thetakeout.com/we-should-be-eating-medium-rare-pork-1828528374/ 🔴 Alaskan hunters getting trichellosis from walrus (misspelled as “trichellosis”): https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/07/health/alaska-worm-infection-walrus-meat-study/index.html 🔴 Case studies from CDC on trichinellosis from wild bear: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/73/wr/mm7320a2.htm?s_cid=mm7320a2_w ---------------------------------- REACH OUT: Feel free to reach out via email or Twitter! Website: www.christinabergey.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bergeycm ---------------------------------- STUFF TO MAKE VIDEOS (some with affiliate links): Blue Yeti microphone: https://amzn.to/31KLRjS GoPro: https://amzn.to/31bYDYb Camera (Sony Alpha A6600): https://amzn.to/2U07Xew Cheap Lens (Sony 16-50mm): https://amzn.to/3AYK08m Fancy Zoom Lens (Sony E 70-350mm f/4.5-6.3 G OSS): https://amzn.to/3FHhAlb Tripod (Manfrotto): https://amzn.to/3ASZbjh Cheap lighting kit: https://amzn.to/3yUZuIF