Unfortunately these parasites residing in uncooked fish are not visible to the eye, so there is no real way of telling whether they are there. Due to the popularity of sushi in Western countries, instances of parasite infections have shown a rise say doctors in BMJ case reports.
This warning from medical professionals has come after a case arose of a 32 year old man from Lisbon suffered such an experience. After experiencing painful stomach pain, fever and vomiting he visited a doctor who, after some probing, discovered his sushi had led to him contracting anisakiasis.
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Anisakiasis, also known as herring worm disease, is a parasitic infection caused by nematodes (worms). They are usually ingested through the cycle of marine life; as free-swimming larva they are eaten by a crustacean who in turn is eaten by a larger fish. The worm will adopt the new host by burrowing into the wall of their gut. This periodically gets passed onto us humans when we eat uncooked fish. In the most serious cases of anisakiasis in humans it can cause death, but only in extremely rare circumstances if it goes untreated.
Although instances are most notably sweeping Japan, the West’s love for sushi is driving this scary phenomenon this way. The question is how do you avoid a nasty critter lurking in your tuna sashimi roll? The official advice for enjoying uncooked fish safely at home is to freeze your fish for at least four days before making sushi. In terms of eating out, there isn’t a whole lot you can do other than eat at reputable eateries and keep a keen eye out for nasty symptoms. Otherwise you can simply cook your fish thoroughly, just to be on the safe side.
Whether you decide to continue your love affair with your weekly salmon California roll is up to you, but beware!
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