Symptoms of trichinosis can emerge within 1 to 2 days of consuming the contaminated, undercooked pork - but may not show for up to a week after ingestion ( 5). These are typically killed in the cooking process - which is why it’s crucial to cook your pork thoroughly. summaryĮating raw or undercooked pork can make you very sick and put you at risk for parasites like roundworm or tapeworms. To diminish the risk of developing these infections, you should always cook your pork to the appropriate temperature. Thus, eating rare or undercooked pork is not considered safe. These lead to infections, like taeniasis or cysticercosis ( 3, 4). What’s more, eating rare or raw pork also puts you at risk of certain tapeworms, Taenia solium or Taenia asiatica, entering your digestive tract and reproducing. Other animals, like wolves, boars, bears, and walruses, can also be carriers of this roundworm ( 1, 2). One parasite found in pork is Trichinella spiralis, a roundworm which causes an infection called trichinosis, also known as trichinellosis. Thus, when pork isn’t cooked through to its proper temperature, there’s a risk that those bacteria and parasites will survive and be consumed. This is because pork meat, which comes from pigs, is prone to certain bacteria and parasites that are killed in the cooking process. Unlike steak, which can be eaten without being fully brown on the inside, pork that’s bloody (or rare) on the inside should not be consumed.
