No abstract

An epidemiological study was carried out on the anisakids in sardines (Sardina pilchardus) from the southern (Atlantic and Mediterranean) and eastern coasts of Spain. Length of fish was from 12.2-21.0 cm. The anisakids found were identified as the third larval stage (L3) of Hysterothylacium aduncum, with a total prevalence of 11.85%. Prevalence within the host was 9.64% in viscera and 4.69 % in muscle. The highest infection parameters were found in fish from the east coast (western Balearic Sea) with prevalence of 25.21%, mean intensity of 2.10, and mean abundance of 0.52. No worms of the genus Anisakis were found in the 359 sardines analyzed.

An epidemiological survey was undertaken of anisakids in 139 specimens (length: 13.2-24.5 cm) of pouting or bib (Trisopterus luscus) captured off the coast of northern Spain in the Cantabrian Sea. Third-stage larvae of two species of nematodes, Anisakis larvae type I and Hysterothylacium aduncum, were isolated. One adult female H. aduncum was also detected in the intestine of one pouting. Total prevalence of anisakids was 88.5%. Hysterothylacium aduncum and Anisakis showed, respectively, prevalence of 87.8% and 22.3%, mean intensity of 19.7 and 3.5, and mean abundance of 17.3 and 0.8. Analysis of infection parameters as a function of host length revealed a much higher prevalence in pouting specimens with length < 20 cm (94.4% for H. aduncum; 28.0% for Anisakis) than in those with length > or = 20 cm (65.6% for H. aduncum; 3.1% for Anisakis). The high mean intensity of Anisakis in muscle of parasitized pouting (5.9) may pose human health risks, although these are minimized by eating only thoroughly cooked pouting, as is the custom in Spain.