A man who often ate freshwater sashimi contracted liver fluke disease! The 5 foods mentioned in the article are all dangerous!

Recently, a man had repeated fever after eating raw pickled shrimps and blood clams. After being sent to the hospital, examination revealed that he had liver flukes in his body and lesions in his liver and gallbladder.

#Man often eats freshwater sashimi and contracts liver fluke disease#

▲Photo: Screenshot from Weibo

Summer is here, and many people eat sashimi, drunken shrimp, and drunken crab, thinking that they are delicious and nutritious. But this way of eating is really dangerous, and the chance of infection with parasites is very high.

What are the dangers of liver flukes? How can we avoid parasites in our daily diet? Let’s talk about eating seafood in summer~

1. How serious are the dangers of liver fluke?

▲Liver fluke (screenshot from Weibo)

Liver fluke disease is a highly harmful foodborne parasitic disease. Approximately 35 million people worldwide are infected with liver fluke, and approximately 1.1 billion people are at risk of infection.

There are usually no symptoms during the initial infection, but when symptoms do occur, they are usually quite serious.

The most serious complication caused by long-term liver fluke infection is cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). This is because liver flukes parasitize the host's peripheral bile ducts for a long time, causing lesions. And because of the stimulation of liver flukes, the body will have an immune inflammatory response.

In addition, when liver flukes enter the liver, they can cause bile duct obstruction, leading to inflammation of the liver parenchyma.

The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified liver flukes as a Class I carcinogenic pathogen of CCA.

2. Is eating raw seafood more nutritious?

For safety reasons, it is recommended to cook it well!

There are frequent reports of cases of parasitic infections from eating raw seafood. Various aquatic products are very likely to carry parasites, such as Anisakis, liver fluke, and sparganosis.

Simple actions such as dipping in mustard or marinating in wine are not enough to kill parasites.

Although mustard is rich in isothiocyanates, which can inhibit the growth of microorganisms, it cannot kill the sparganosis in fish muscles.

Undercooked seafood may contain pathogenic bacteria, such as Listeria monocytogenes, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Salmonella, etc., which may cause food poisoning after consumption.

Raw salmon fillets are the most common restaurant delicacy, but much of the salmon sold on the market is rainbow trout.

Rainbow trout ≠ salmon

Rainbow trout is a freshwater fish that carries a higher risk of parasites.

Real salmon is officially farmed Atlantic salmon, which undergoes special treatments such as freezing to reduce the risk of parasites.

It can only be reduced but not avoided completely, so it is recommended that you cook it before eating.

The fat content of rainbow trout is only half that of salmon, while the protein content is similar to salmon, about 20 grams per 100 grams.

If you are trying to lose weight and are concerned about your fat intake, you can choose rainbow trout.

3. These 5 foods cannot be eaten raw

The following five foods have parasite risks and require vigilance:

① Yellow eel: With delicious meat, it is called "ginseng in water". However, yellow eel is the intermediate host of at least 15 kinds of parasites, among which the most harmful is the third-stage larvae of the gnathostome.

Many people become infected by eating raw or undercooked eels. The larvae will migrate through multiple organs in the human body, invading internal organs, eyes, brain, spinal cord and other organs.

②Salmon: Many people like to eat raw salmon, thinking that it is a natural fish with good nutrition. However, from a safety perspective, it is not recommended to eat it raw.

Raw salmon is likely to be contaminated with parasites, mainly Diphyllobothrium latum. When consumed by humans, the sparganosis enters the human body and develops into adults in the intestines after 3 to 5 weeks.

Most infected people have no obvious symptoms, while a few have mild symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, numbness of the limbs, diarrhea or constipation, and hunger, which affect human health.

③ Crayfish and crabs: For those who like to eat drunken shrimp and crabs, you need to be alert to lung flukes. Raw and undercooked crayfish and crabs may be contaminated with lung flukes.

Lung fluke mainly parasitizes in the lungs of humans or mammals, and often in the cerebral spinal cord, abdominal cavity and subcutaneous tissue, causing damage to health.

④ Water chestnut: a kind of aquatic plant, easily infected by ginger worm.

When people are infected with Pinworms, their stool volume will increase, the smell will be particularly bad, and it will contain undigested food. A few patients will also excrete some Pinworms in their feces and even spit them out of their mouths.

Abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, allergies and edema may occur. In severe cases, it may cause intestinal obstruction or even death. Children's physical and intellectual development may also be affected after infection.

4. How to avoid parasitic infection when enjoying delicious food?

In addition to not eating the dangerous foods mentioned above raw, you should also:

① Separate raw and cooked food on the chopping board: Sharing the same chopping board for raw and cooked food may lead to cross contamination. It is recommended that you separate raw and cooked food on different chopping boards, or use the front side to cut fruits and vegetables and the back side to cut raw meat. After cutting raw meat, be sure to thoroughly clean the chopping board and hang it to dry.

② Do not drink raw water: Raw water may contain eggs of certain parasites and bacteria, especially river water, stream water, etc. No matter how clear it is, you must never drink it directly! Even tap water must be boiled before drinking.

③ Eat less cold dishes when you are out: for example, cold Houttuynia cordata salad may be related to infection with Fasciola gigas.

④ Wash your hands frequently: Pay attention to personal hygiene and wash your hands frequently to prevent insect eggs that may be on your hands from attaching to daily necessities and food.

Summarize:

Parasites are very harmful to the human body. Some foods are risky to eat raw, so they must be cooked thoroughly!

References:

[1] Xie Hongdan, Cao Cong. Research progress on the pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma caused by liver flukes[J]. Chinese Journal of Clinical New Medicine, 2021, 14(06): 624-628.

[2] Li Yanrong, Li Lisha, Jiang Dianwei, et al. A case report of Diphyllobothrium latum infection after eating raw salmon[J]. Chinese Journal of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, 2013, 31(006):494-494.

[3] Cai Wuwei, Lin Chenxin, Xie Hanguo, Jiang Dianwei. Investigation on the distribution of stage III larvae of Gnatostoma albus in the eel[J]. Strait Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2020, 26(02):10-11+42.

[4] Li Yanrong, Li Lisha, Jiang Dianwei, Chen Zhuyun. A case report of Diphyllobothrium latum infection after eating raw salmon[J]. Chinese Journal of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, 2013, 31(06):494.