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15 in Ibaraki sick from parasite after eating bear meat

Fifteen diners suffered a parasitic disease after eating bear meat roast in Ibaraki Prefecture (TBS News)
Fifteen diners suffered a parasitic disease after eating bear meat roast in Ibaraki Prefecture (TBS News)

IBARAKI (TR) – Fifteen diners suffered a parasitic disease after eating bear roast at an Italian restaurant in Mito City, the first such case in 35 years, prefectural officials said on Friday.

The men and women, ranging from in their 20s to 50s, are receiving treatment for parasitic disease symptoms like rash and fever after eating the dish at restaurant Bigori, Nippon News Network reports (Dec. 23).

One of the 15 struck with food poisoning was temporarily hospitalized, officials said.

Prefectural officials shut down the restaurant after a public health center found that the affected diners were struck with food poisoning due to the bear meat being contaminated with trichinella, a roundworm that causes a parasitic disease known as trichinosis.

The restaurant likely failed to cook the bear meat sufficiently before serving to customers, prefectural officials said, adding this was the first case of trichinella in Japan in 35 years.

A regular at the restaurant hunted a bear in Hokkaido, prepared it at home and brought the meat into the restaurant, which served the meat to 27 diners from November 24 until December 8.

Prefectural officials warned that game meat must be cooked thoroughly in the center before consumption, TBS News reported.