The remote myopathy of trichinosis

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Abstract
A study of experimentally induced trichinosis was carried out in guinea pigs in order to elucidate the mechanism of production of the "remote myopathy" regularly seen in infected muscle. .Histological examination revealed that most of the muscle fibers showing pathological changes did not contain visible trichinae, particularly early in the infection. By using serial sections, an estimate was made of the proportion of myopathy that would be expected to be produced by unseen adjacent trichi-nal larvae. This estimate was compared with the observed proportion and found to be in close accord. It was thus concluded that unseen adjacent trichinae produce the extensive myopathy seen. There is no need, therefore, to postulate toxic, hypersensitivity, or other mechanisms to explain the presence in trichinous muscle of extensive myopathy even when relatively few trichinae can be seen. It was shown that sections of muscle contiguous to invading trichinal larvae may give the appearance of a nonspecific myopathy with the usual degenerative and regenerative changes. An illustrated description was given of the sequential histological changes in the myopathy of trichinosis.