What parasite can you get from sushi

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Anasakis starts its life cycle in the intestines of marine mammals, is excreted into their faeces and then infects fish, small crustaceans or krill in the larval stage. When the fish gets eaten by the marine mammal, the life cycle recommences. Humans can also contract these parasitic worms by consuming infected fish that is raw, smoked or improperly frozen. But the presence of this parasite can still initiate an immune response in people that can cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

The seafood processing industry and sushi chefs are skilled at spotting and removing these worms, she says. Eggs from infected animals and humans are passed from faeces into water, where they hatch.

This first stage of larvae is ingested by crustaceans. The larvae mature into a second stage in crustacaeans, which are then ingested by fish. When humans eat these fish in a raw or undercooked form, the larvae attach to the wall of the small intestine and can eventually develop into full-length tapeworms.

Very often, fish tapeworms do not cause symptoms. When symptoms do arise, they are usually non-specific and can include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting and weight loss.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognised a heightened risk of fish tapeworms being found in Pacific Ocean salmon, including Alaskan wild salmon. This may be the source of the fish tapeworm found in the Californian man. Other parasites can be found in raw or undercooked seafood, including Anisakis. Anisakis larvae grow to a much smaller size than fish tapeworm up to 3cm but can cause severe pain in the upper abdomen shortly after eating infected fish.

Read more: They might sound gross, but intestinal worms can actually be good for you. Thankfully, it is incredibly rare to contract a parasitic infection from eating sushi or sashimi in Australia.