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How do dormant parasite cysts spread when people eat raw or undercooked fish or pork?
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Dormancy
Virginia big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianushibernating) are true hibernators, entering a state close to death for much of the winter.
When people consume raw or undercooked fish or pork containing dormant parasite cysts, they ingest the larval stage of the parasite, which is a critical part of its life cycle.1
In the case of parasites like the oriental liver fluke found in fish muscle, or the trichina worm (Trichinella spiralis) found in the muscle cells of hogs, the process follows these steps:
- Ingestion: The host consumes the infected, undercooked meat, which harbors the encysted larvae.21
- Digestion: Once the meat reaches the stomach and small intestine, the host's digestive juices dissolve the protective cyst wall.21
- Infection: The liberated larvae are then able to emerge, invade the mucosal lining of the intestine, or migrate into the tissues of the new host to continue their development.213
For tapeworms like Taenia solium (pork tapeworm) and Diphyllobothrium latum (fish tapeworm), the larvae similarly pass into the intestine upon consumption, where they attach and mature into adult worms. Thorough cooking remains the most effective safeguard against these infections.432