Table 2.
Signs and symptoms of persons who attended the implicated meal (N = 38) in Humboldt County, California in 2008
| Sign or symptom | Confirmed (N = 23) | Probable (N = 6) | Not a case (N = 9) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Total | Percent | Number | Total | Percent | Number | Total | Percent | |
| Muscle aches | 22 | 22 | 100 | 6 | 6 | 100 | 1 | 8 | 13 |
| Elevated creatine kinase | 8 | 10 | 80 | 1 | 4 | 25 | NA | NA | NA |
| Weakness or fatigue | 19 | 20 | 95 | 3 | 5 | 60 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Eosinophilia | 12 | 13 | 92 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Fever | 20 | 23 | 87 | 2 | 6 | 33 | 4* | 8 | 50 |
| Headache | 14 | 19 | 74 | 5 | 5 | 100 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Pruritic rash | 17 | 23 | 74 | 2 | 6 | 33 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
| Chills | 13 | 19 | 68 | 1 | 6 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Periorbital/facial edema | 13 | 20 | 65 | 3 | 4 | 75 | 1† | 8 | 13 |
| Abdominal pain | 10 | 19 | 53 | 3 | 5 | 60 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Diarrhea | 9 | 20 | 45 | 1 | 5 | 20 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Vomiting | 6 | 19 | 32 | 2 | 5 | 40 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
*
Fever occurred in four children under 5 years of age, all of whom consumed cooked bear meat only, and none reported any other clinical signs or symptoms. No fever onset date was given, and therefore, this sign cannot be definitively linked to consumption of bear meat on October 27.
†
The patient was a 1-year-old child who reportedly consumed a very small amount of cooked bear meat on October 27. The child had no other signs or symptoms and was serologically negative for Trichinella infection.
NA = information not available.