A patient with a history of eating wild game comes to the physician with a history of diarrhea over the past 3 weeks. In addition, he complains of fever, muscular pain and tenderness, headache, and general weakness. The patient also has a significant eosinophilia. A biopsy of a nodular area on his forearm is seen in the image below. This is consistent with a diagnosis of infection caused by

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The biopsy image shows a cross-sectional view of a muscle fiber with clusters of small, round, inflammatory cells (lymphocytes, eosinophils) in the periphery. This pattern is characteristic of Trichinella spiralis infection, which causes trichinellosis. Trichinella spiralis is transmitted to humans through consumption of raw or undercooked meat, particularly pork and wild game. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever, muscular pain and tenderness, headache, and general weakness, which are consistent with the patient's presentation. Eosinophilia is a common feature of trichinellosis.

A Patient with a History of Eating Wild Game Comes