Anisakis pegreffi Etiological Agent of Gastric Infections in Two Italian Women

Abstract

Two cases of gastric anisakiasis have been documented in two Italian women who had consumed raw anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus). The first patient was a 49-year-old woman presenting with epigastric pain and bloody vomiting after ingestion of marinated (vinegar) raw anchovies. During the esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGDS) a white color worm was detected and extracted from cardia by means of biopsy forceps. The second patient was a 59-year-old woman with irritable bowel syndrome and gastritis, who underwent to periodical EGDSs. In the course of the last EGDS, a white color round worm on antrum and a small polyp on the fundus of the stomach were observed. The two nematodes have been identified as L3 larvae of the genus Anisakis by a light microscope, and as Anisakis pegreffi by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The molecular identification of the etiological agent at the species level allows to identify what Anisakidae species play a zoonotic role and which are the fish host species.

Hysterothylacium larvae (Nematoda, Anisakidae) in the freshwater mussel Diplodon suavidicus (Lea, 1856) (Mollusca, Unioniformes, Hyriidae) in Aripuanã River, Amazon, Brazil

“…Clinical signs depend on the site where the larva is deposited, but it generally causes abdominal pain and vomiting, as well as some allergic reactions (Fumarola et al, 2009;Valls et al, 2005). Nematodes of the Hysterothylacium genus reach sexual maturity inside the intestine of fish or marine mammals.…”

Natural products: Perspectives in the pharmacological treatment of gastrointestinal anisakiasis

“…Although this illness can be caused by other anisakids, the main etiological agent of this parasitosis is considered to be Anisakis simplex s.s. [1,2]. In Italy, however, it has been attributed to Anisakis pegreffii [3][4][5] . It is not yet known whether these two species are equally pathogenic, but trials performed on laboratory animals indicate that Anisakis simplex penetrates the mucous membrane of the digestive tract to a greater proportion [6] .…”

Survey of Anisakis sp. and Hysterothylacium sp. in sardines and anchovies from the North Adriatic Sea

“…Japan is undoubtedly the most affected country (Ishikura et al, 1993;Kim et al, 2013), but human cases are also reported in Italy, Spain, United States and China (Fumarola et al, 2009;Kojima et al, 2013;Qin et al, 2013;Ramanan et al, 2013;Valle et al, 2012).…”