Some Notes on a Successful Rearing of the Herring-worm, Anisakis Marina L. (Nematoda: Heterocheilidae)

Abstract

The mode of infection and the life cycle of the herring-worm A. marina is not well known. To deal with this gap in our knowledge, an in-vitro culture method has been developed. A successful medium proved to be digested liver extract (pH 2) with addition of beef blood. After an incubation time of 26–98 days the nematodes become adult and reach a length of 3·5–7·0 cm for males and 4·5–15·0 cm for females. When immersed in sea water at a temperature of 5–7°C, the development of the eggs takes 20–27 days and the active moving larvae are kept alive up to 6–7 weeks.