What can you get from undercooked pork?

[lmk1]

I got what I thought was a chicken kebab at a festival, and after I bit off several pieces, I realized it was undercooked in the center. And what's more, I realized it had to be pork, which is the one thing I'm absolutely paranoid about eating undercooked. So what can I get from undercooked pork? And what can hurt the baby? I'm 12w1d.

[MaerynPearl]

E. coli, salmonella... but if it was at least hot I wouldn't really worry. Its more the temperature it gets to than the color, pork can be a bit pink in the center and still be thoroughly cooked if the meat got hot enough.

The chances of getting anything from undercooked meat are actually really rare so I personally would not be too worried about a one time thing.

However, it does not hurt to call your doctor or midwife to get their opinion on it!

(and before anyone says anything about Trichinosis... as far as my research shows, the last time someone got a case of that from undercooked pork was back in the 90s and that was a total of 8 people. I really do not see that as being a threat)

[HappyMommy2]

Yeah, I heard the thing about having to overcook pork was no longer valid anymore.

[nick&jonmom]

I just happened to read yesterday (I was cooking a pork roast) that an internal temp of like 130 (?) was all you need to cook pork to kill any of the bacteria (namely trichonosis) so that's why it can look a little rare. I've been served pink in the middle pork tenderloin in upscale restaturants several times...I'd try not to worry about it too much if you can!

[lmk1]

Originally Posted by MaerynPearl

E. coli, salmonella... but if it was at least hot I wouldn't really worry. Its more the temperature it gets to than the color, pork can be a bit pink in the center and still be thoroughly cooked if the meat got hot enough.

The chances of getting anything from undercooked meat are actually really rare so I personally would not be too worried about a one time thing.

However, it does not hurt to call your doctor or midwife to get their opinion on it!

(and before anyone says anything about Trichinosis... as far as my research shows, the last time someone got a case of that from undercooked pork was back in the 90s and that was a total of 8 people. I really do not see that as being a threat)

Thanks...I'm trying not to worry. I did get very ill from eating pork once when I was traveling, but it wasn't undercooked, so I'm sure someone just didn't clean their hands well.
I was trying to find some site that said how often people got Trichinosis...where did you see that it was 1990's? That's a real relief!

[MaerynPearl]

Originally Posted by lmk1

Thanks...I'm trying not to worry. I did get very ill from eating pork once when I was traveling, but it wasn't undercooked, so I'm sure someone just didn't clean their hands well.
I was trying to find some site that said how often people got Trichinosis...where did you see that it was 1990's? That's a real relief!

several google searches, articles which quote studies...

plus it has been in the news recently that that is one of those threats we left behind with the new century.

The reason its so rare but used to be more common is that pigs used to be fed meat and are now fed grain (or so Ive read)

[lmk1]

So the following day I had a bit of loose stool, but nothing horrible. But since I've had some mucusy looking stools. And of course I can't remember if I've had anything like that before. I don't have diarrhea, and any nausea is of course explained by the pregnancy, so is this normal or could I have picked up some bug that I need to tell my OB about?

[akat]

Just wanted to chime in and say, it's true, Trichinosis was eradicated in pork.

[umsami]

Originally Posted by akat

Just wanted to chime in and say, it's true, Trichinosis was eradicated in pork.

Not true. Sorry. According to the CDC, roughly 0.013% of all pork is contaminated with trichinosis. You CAN still get it--however, you are more likely to get it from undercooked game meat rather than pork. You can learn more here http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/trichinae/

Right now, there are roughly 12 cases per year. Not a lot--but still, they do exist. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasi...sis.htm#common

Is it likely you got it? No... especially as it's quite possible that the pork you ate was previously frozen, which kills the larvae.

But, it does still exist.

[Ola_]

Under-cooking "whole" meats as opposed to ground is much safer because there is less surface area that is exposed to bacteria. And trichinosis, while still possible, is really very rare these days and most cases are from wild boar as opposed to domestic pigs. I feed my pets a raw diet that includes raw pork, so I've done enough reading on the topic to feel comfortable with it (btw, 5 years later we've still had no issues).

[lmk1]

I think I must've eaten something not good last night in a restaurant, since dh also got some diarrhea. I called the nurse and she said not to worry about it unless I feel like I'm dehydrating. Why then do they say not to eat so many things if when you actually get food poisoning, it's "don't worry about it"???