Anisakiasis: Revenge of the Sushi Parasite

Abstract

To the Editor: Human infection by fish parasites belonging to the family Anisakidae was, until recently, a medical oddity in the United States. However, the number of cases of anisakiasis in the United States has increased markedly in recent years, and physicians should be alerted to the disease's characteristics. A zoonotic disease, anisakiasis is transmitted to humans by the ingestion of seafood products harboring the infective third-stage larvae of anisakid nematodes. The first reported case of human anisakiasis in the United States was recorded in 1958; however, more than 70 percent of the reported cases have occurred since 1980.¹ Much . . .