Six people contracted trichinellosis, also known as “brain worms,” after eating undercooked bear kabobs at a family reunion.

According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), six of eight family members, ranging from 12 to 62 years old, contracted brain worms. The family had enjoyed a meal including undercooked bear kabobs. But two of the sick relatives only ate vegetables that had been cooked with the meat.

One 29-year-old family member went to a Minnesota hospital in July 2022 after the reunion with family members from Arizona, Minnesota, and South Dakota. He was experiencing a fever, severe muscle aches, swelling around the eyes, and other abnormalities in blood tests, according to the CDC, and was hospitalized twice over a 17 days.

The meat had come from a black bear one of the family members had hunted in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, the previous May. The meat was stored in a household freezer for 45 days before it was eaten.

Three of the relatives were hospitalized. All six recovered.

According to the CDC, cases of human trichinellosis are rarely reported in the U.S. and usually come from eating wild game. The CDC also says that cooking meat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill brain worms.

STAY INFORMED: Get free Colorado news with our daily newsletter (Click here)