A 77-year-old Florida man learned the hard way that eating feral pig meat can come with serious consequences. After battling mystery chest pain and repeated infections for nearly two years, doctors finally traced the culprit: Brucella suis, a rare and highly infectious bacteria commonly found in wild hogs.
A Biohazard on a Plate
The man, who lived on a farm with dogs and goats, wasn’t a hunter, but he had accepted gifts of wild hog meat from a local hunter in 2017. He recalled handling the raw meat and blood with his bare hands before cooking and eating it—a direct transmission risk. What followed was a medical nightmare.
Doctors initially struggled to identify the infection, even as the man cycled through multiple antibiotics and hospital visits. Eventually, tests confirmed B. suis, a bacteria so dangerous that it was once classified as a bioterror threat by the U.S. government. It can cause chronic, hard-to-detect infections affecting the heart, brain, spine, and respiratory system.
Why This Matters
- Feral pigs are everywhere – Florida has over a million wild hogs, making them a major source of brucellosis.
- Hunters and meat handlers are at risk – Handling raw wild pork without precautions could lead to serious, long-lasting infections.
- It’s highly contagious – Lab workers who tested the man’s samples required months of monitoring to ensure they weren’t infected.
After a six-week antibiotic treatment, the man finally recovered. His case serves as a serious warning: If someone offers you mystery meat from a wild hog, you might want to pass.
