A 30-year-old migrant worker presents with periorbital edema, myalgia, fever, and eosinophilia after eating undercooked pork. Muscle biopsy shows coiled larvae within a nurse cell. The nurse cell is formed from:
- A Macrophage recruited to the site of larval invasion
- B Fibroblasts forming a granulomatous capsule
- C The infected striated myocyte itself, dedifferentiated under larval influence ✓
- D Schwann cells of adjacent motor nerves
Correct answer: C. The infected striated myocyte itself, dedifferentiated under larval influence
Explanation
In Trichinella spiralis infection, first-stage larvae migrate via bloodstream to striated muscle, preferring highly oxygenated fibres (diaphragm, masseter, extraocular muscles). They invade individual myocytes and induce transdifferentiation of the host myocyte into a metabolically active nurse cell that surrounds the larva, elaborates new vascularization, and maintains larval viability for years.
Reference: Ananthanarayan & Paniker's Textbook of Microbiology, 11th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.