Trichinellosis is a parasitic disease that can be transmitted to people. It is caused by the nematode Trichinella spiralis. People become infected when they eat insufficiently cooked infected meat, usually pork or bear, although meat from other animals has also been implicated. Natural infections occur in wild carnivores, and most mammals are susceptible. Trichinellosis has occasionally been found in horses.

Generally, there are no signs of the disease in horses. Making sure that ingestion of viable Trichinella cysts in muscle does not occur is the best way to prevent disease in both animals and humans (see Disorders Affecting Multiple Body Systems of Dogs: Trichinellosis (Trichinosis) in Dogs).

Last full review/revision July 2011 by Otto M. Radostits, CM, DVM, MSc, DACVIM (Deceased); Delores E. Hill, PhD; Barton W. Rohrbach, VMD, MPH, DACVPM; Charles J. Issel, DVM, PhD; Max J. Appel, DMV, PhD; David A. Ashford, DVM, MPH, DS; Daniela Bedenice, DrVetMed, DACVIM, DACVECC; Farouk M. Hamdy, DVM, MSc, PhD, MPA (Deceased); Kenneth R. Harkin, DVM, DACVIM; Johnny D. Hoskins, DVM, PhD; Eugene D. Janzen, DVM, MVS; Jodie Low Choy, BVMS; John E. Madigan, DVM, MS; Dale A. Moore, MS, DVM, MPVM, PhD; J. Glenn Songer, PhD; Joseph Taboada, DVM, DACVIM; Charles O. Thoen, DVM, PhD; John F. Timoney, MVB, PhD, Dsc, MRCVS; Ian Tizard, BVMS, PhD, DACVM; Brian J. McCluskey, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVPM; Bert E. Stromberg, PhD; Peter J. Timoney, MVB, MS, PhD, FRCVS