What's the deal on pork and dog food?

CA POPPY wrote:
You aren't feeding and handling raw pork, are you? There's this to worry about in that case: Trichinosis I remember knowing of someone who got that parasite from a "fabulous sausage" and was in the hospital quite ill for some time.

Trichinellosis Surveillance --- United States, 1997--2001
Although trichinellosis was associated historically with eating Trichinella-infected pork from domesticated sources, wild game meat was the most common source of infection during 1997--2001. During this 5-year period, 72 cases were reported to CDC. Of these, 31 (43%) cases were associated with eating wild game: 29 with bear meat, one with cougar meat, and one with wild boar meat. In comparison, only 12 (17%) cases were associated with eating commercial pork products, including four cases traced to a foreign source. Nine (13%) cases were associated with eating noncommercial pork from home-raised or direct-from-farm swine where U.S. commercial pork production industry standards and regulations do not apply.

In the United States, the national trichinellosis surveillance system has documented a steady decline in the reported incidence of this disease. During 1947--1951, a median of 393 cases (range: 327--487) was reported annually, including 57 trichinellosis-related deaths (4). During 1997--2001, the incidence decreased to a median of 12 cases annually (range: 11--23) and no reported deaths. No apparent change in the trichinellosis surveillance system can account for this decline. However, because the surveillance system is not designed to detect asymptomatic cases, the number of reported cases probably represents only a portion of the total number of infections.

Historically, pork products were the most commonly identified source of Trichinella infection in the United States. However, the number of annual reported cases attributed to pork has declined for many years, largely because of changes implemented by the U.S. pork industry that have resulted in reduced prevalence of Trichinella among domestic swine. This report presents data for 1997--2001 on trichinellosis and describes the changing epidemiology of this disease.