What is anisakis and how can we detect it?

Anisakis is a parasite that inhabits most marine species

This parasite is not so complicated that it reaches your digestive system, especially if you are a lover of fresh fish.

Next, we will explain what anisakis is and how to detect it, as well as the most common symptoms or the fish that usually contain it. All of this below.

What is anisakis?

Is a parasite, about 2 centimeters, whose larvae live in the digestive system of almost all the marine species that we know, although it is common to find it in the following fish and cephalopods (which are the most consumed), such as Cod, Sardine, Anchovy, Hake, Salmon, Turbot, Herring, Whiting, Haddock, Mackerel, Halibut, Horse Mackerel, Bonito, Octopus, Cuttlefish, Squid …

Yes, Be careful with the pickled anchovies!, since a study by the Marine Research Institute indicates how the majority of annual anisakis infections are caused by homemade anchovies poorly macerated in vinegar. This occurs, among other reasons, because vinegar and marinade treatments are not enough to kill this parasite.

We come into contact with this parasite when we eat raw, salted, marinated, smoked or undercooked fish, which contain anisakis, and causes some of the following symptoms:

• Severe abdominal pain
• Naúseas
• Vomiting
• Altered bowel rhythm, causing constipation and diarrhea

In more serious pictures, anisakis can also cause the person to suffer:

• • Dry cough
  • dizziness
  • Respiratory distress
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Feeling of suffocation
  • Chest noises
  • Drop in tension and shock

Y, if it causes an allergic reaction in the person, symptoms can be:

• • • Urticaria
    • Angioedema
    • And even anaphylactic shock, although only in the most severe cases

Symptoms begin to appear from the moment that anisakis “nests” in our intestine until after two weeks.

How to detect anisakis?

As we have already pointed out, this parasite measures about 2 centimeters, so it is visible to the human eye, and therefore can be recognized. It is of a color between white and pearly pink and we find it free in the abdominal cavity of the fish.

Sometimes we find it in the form of tangles that contain dozens of larvae, or they settle around the abdomen of the fish. It can also be cystic, in which case it takes on a spiral shape of a darker color., caused by the melanin of the fish itself.

Therefore, now that you know how to recognize anisakis, we explain how to prevent contagion:

• Quick freeze at less than -20ºC for a minimum period of 48 hours.
• The fish must be cooked at a temperature higher than 60ºC and for at least 2 minutes inside the piece of fish.

Also, following the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organization), if you are a lover of fresh fish, remember to freeze it before.

By following these recommendations, and being able to identify this parasite, there is no doubt that now you are much less likely to contract some of the consequences that we have already indicated.