Recent Research

Anaphylactic Reactions

Anisakis parasites can produce severe allergic reactions, which can often become very serious if they produce an anaphylactic response in a patient. Research done in South Africa was published this year in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and examines Anisakis sensitization in employees of fish-processing factories. The scientists used a skin prick test to determine parasite and seafood allergies in the subjects and a spirometry and methacholine challenge to record lung function. They measured allergic reactions and found that sensitization to Anisakis was higher than the sensitization to fish. IgE response was correlated with bronchial hyperreactivity and seemed to be associated with fish consumption. It was concluded that fish consumption may have contributed to Anisakis sensitization and allergic symptoms in the workers.

Severe Bowel Obstruction

            A 2006 Japanese study published in Pathology International documented the case study of a 51-yearold Japanese woman who had consumed raw fish and developed severe symptoms. She presented abdominal pain and bowel obstruction to the physician and after surgery it was discovered that a peritoneal strand had strangulated part of her small intestine. The congestion had caused necrosis in the neighboring cells. It was determined that the nematode responsible was a third stage Anisakis larva.

Dangerous Love for Sushi

            An increasing love for raw fish in sushi may be contributing to an increase in Anisakiasis in Japan. The Japanese culinary tradition favors the consumption of delicacies like sashimi (sliced uncooked fish fillet) which is a mode of Anisakiasis transmission. However, an alternative explanation is that it is not the sushi that is causing the rising number of infections, but merely the recent advancements in diagnoses methods that have led to the greater number of reported cases.

Desowitz RS, Raybourne RB, Ishikura H, Kliks MM. "The radioallergosorben test "RAST" for the serological diagosis of human anisakiasis." Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. 1985; 79(2):256-9.

Masui N, Fuijima N, Hasegawa T, Kigawa S, Kagei N, Nagashima K, Shimizu Y. "Small bowel strangulation caused by parasitic peritoneal strand." Pathology International. June 2006;56(6):345-9.

Nieuwenhuizen N, Lopata AL, Jeebhay MF, Herbert DR, Robins TG, Brombacher F. "Exposure to the fish parasite Anisakis causes allergic airway hyperreactivity and dermatitis." The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. May 2006;117(5):1098-105.

Oshima T. "Anisakiasis--is the sushi bar guilty?" Parisitology Today. February 1987;3(2):44-8.