tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post116033962393212198..comments2024-02-17T12:47:30.703-05:00Comments on Beyond Salmon: Parasites in Fish, Part 2 -- Anisakis and TapewormHelenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-26261656712734218652020-12-28T15:07:18.040-05:002020-12-28T15:07:18.040-05:00Thanks Mrs.Rennie. Your research is very helpful a...Thanks Mrs.Rennie. Your research is very helpful and I'm glad to hear about the information from a well known trusted source like yours. Thank you again. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-7468094243190271082014-08-16T14:06:29.714-04:002014-08-16T14:06:29.714-04:00It's true that salmon is farmed in the ocean a...It's true that salmon is farmed in the ocean and if some contaminated shrimp wonders into the salmon cage, salmon can get contaminated if it eats that shrimp. But, you have to think about the odds here. These salmon are not relying on wild feed. They are being fed pellet food, so the odds of them getting parasites is puny compared to wild salmon. Another thing to understand is that parasites are not a virus. If one fish gets it, doesn't mean the rest of them get it too. When the fish get parasites, they are mostly restricted to their gut. In a few instances they might get into the flesh and get picked out by the fishmongers. The odds of getting a parasite in farm-raised salmon is very low. Is it zero? No. But few things in life carry zero risk. How does it compare to driving? It's a laughable risk compared to driving. If you are planning to drive to the store to pick up farm-raised salmon, you are not changing your risk much by cooking it to less than FDA suggests. If you want to cook salmon to a completely safe temperature, it will be very unpleasant (140F). When I slow cook my salmon, I cook it to 115-120F. <br /><br />Wild salmon is a completely different story. The risk of them being contaminated is quite large.<br /><br />If you want to reduce the risk close to zero for both farmed and wild salmon, freeze them for 7 days. Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-53315208548441656292014-08-16T04:24:42.920-04:002014-08-16T04:24:42.920-04:00Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge &...Correct me if I'm wrong, but to my knowledge "farmed" fish are raised in open pens that float in the water. These pens can be kept in the the ocean, in fresh water, really anywhere. So to say that farmed fish cannot have worms seems absolutely preposterous to me. If a fish, that the farmed fish feed on, happens to find it's way into the one of the pens somehow, it is definitely possible that the farmed fish will get a parasite. I usually slow cook salmon at 250 degrees and I was just searching to find out what temperature the middle needed to be when I found the article / site...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-47544797334057348032013-05-15T22:08:30.860-04:002013-05-15T22:08:30.860-04:00Scallops are safe. They don't host the 3 para...Scallops are safe. They don't host the 3 parasites that can be harmful to you. All you need to worry about is them being very fresh and not treated with preservatives. In other words you want "dry" scallops.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-65619563343332570262013-05-15T21:29:44.485-04:002013-05-15T21:29:44.485-04:00Hello,
Thank you for a very informative article. ...Hello,<br /><br />Thank you for a very informative article. Would I be correct in assuming that raw scallops, prepared in acid, may contain certain forms of bacteria, but not parasites? In other words, I do not think the three forms of parasites mentioned in your article can be found in uncooked scallops.<br /><br /><br />Thank you!<br /><br />Regards,<br /><br /><br />N.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-27459333748787285522012-10-11T08:38:17.513-04:002012-10-11T08:38:17.513-04:00Thank you so much!!!
I think it was farmed salmon ...Thank you so much!!!<br />I think it was farmed salmon - it's more pink than red. I don't ski... broke many bones while ice skating back in Moscow :)Lenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-14160405094366280952012-10-10T20:41:22.147-04:002012-10-10T20:41:22.147-04:00Hi Lena,
Here are some answers:
- will salting...Hi Lena, <br /><br />Here are some answers:<br /><br />- will salting process kill bacteria?<br /><br />yes, but it depends on how much salt you use, how long you cure, and how fresh the fish was to begin with. as long as there was no off smell before you cured it, I wouldn't worry about it.<br /><br />- if fish has bacteria – would it smell “strange” ?<br />yes, if your fish didn't smell, it's most likely fine. <br /><br />- if I slice salmon really thin – should I be able to see a worm?<br /><br />You'll be able to see cod worm and anisakis if you know what to look for. the real danger is tapeworm and you won't see that. If your salmon is farm raised, I wouldn't worry about it (it can't have tapeworm). if your salmon is wild, tapeworm can be an issue and I would strongly recommend you freeze the fish. <br /><br />- I already made my salmon w/o freezing first…hate to throw away food. Is it a good idea to freeze it after it’s been salted to kill parasites? (eh.. probably not). <br /><br />yes! freezing after curing is perfectly fine. I would only bother to do that if you are using wild salmon. <br /><br />Generally speaking, this is all pretty safe stuff compared to downhill skiing (and probably even driving :)<br /><br />Cheers,<br />-HelenHelenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-61564179136941290662012-10-10T19:38:02.909-04:002012-10-10T19:38:02.909-04:00Dear Helen,
I really got concerned after reading ...Dear Helen,<br /><br />I really got concerned after reading all the comments… I’ve been happily eating sushi for the past 13 years after I moved to US and even made some myself… Like you said, I need to trust the source. However, recently, I started to make my own version of “smoked” salmon w/o smoke. Just salmon covered with salt and sugar for a couple of days. I usually get fish in the Fresh Market (not sure you have same chain in Boston) and don’t freeze (well, now I will!) A couple of questions: <br />- will salting process kill bacteria?<br />- if fish has bacteria – would it smell “strange” ?<br />- if I slice salmon really thin – should I be able to see a worm?<br />- I already made my salmon w/o freezing first…hate to throw away food. Is it a good idea to freeze it after it’s been salted to kill parasites? (eh.. probably not). <br />Thanks in advance.<br />--Lena<br />Lenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-14319289734066192872012-09-18T14:30:05.048-04:002012-09-18T14:30:05.048-04:00So I've been all over google trying to find ou...So I've been all over google trying to find out what was in my (Whole Foods) cooked Alaskan Salmon that I just ate for lunch. The reason I'm worried is because I found a tapeworm in my (Whole Foods) salmon a few weeks back that me and a friend were ABOUT to eat raw! Anyways, I now cook all my salmon because I like getting wild, non-pesicide/antibiotic farm-raised (just to be safe) salmon, but for lunch I cooked a couple fillets and found long, hard/tough, white strings running perpendicular to the flesh and I'm wondering if that was a tapeworm infestation. It was only in one part of the 3 large fillets I cooked but it seems unlikely that the worms would stay stretched out long like that and turn tough like bones or tendons. Do you happen to know if this is how their bodies react once being cooked? I sure hope not because I just ate around them. :) Salmon is soooo good for you!<br /><br />Thanks!elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05340130774516502558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-4066625313570918102012-06-19T16:03:20.869-04:002012-06-19T16:03:20.869-04:00Wow, Jen -- you are a brave woman. So sorry about...Wow, Jen -- you are a brave woman. So sorry about your terrible experience with anisakis.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-29691648385372806012012-06-19T15:05:38.589-04:002012-06-19T15:05:38.589-04:00Helen,
Hi, nice to e-meet you. I got anisakaisis f...Helen,<br />Hi, nice to e-meet you. I got anisakaisis from consuming raw salmon sushi at a restaurant in Seattle. Caused a complete bowel obstruction. Terrible pain. Had to have surgery to remove a segment of my small bowel.<br /><br />I still eat salmon sushi and I also downhill ski :)<br /><br />Has some raw farm-raised from the grocery store last night and it was delicious!<br /><br />Thanks for your informative article. <br /><br />Jenjen dohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12314109137788439640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-64778213668292863302012-03-29T07:23:33.872-04:002012-03-29T07:23:33.872-04:00So sorry about your terrible experience. Hope you...So sorry about your terrible experience. Hope you are doing better now :)Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-91160899347109306682012-03-28T23:08:50.858-04:002012-03-28T23:08:50.858-04:00I got a parasite from shrimp tempura rolls. It was...I got a parasite from shrimp tempura rolls. It was baffling--but I know its what I had. On top of my rolls was the salmon fish roe--and I think that's how I got it. I was violently ill for two months. Nausea every day and diarrhea and horrible abdominal cramps after every meal. I don't think I'll ever eat any sushi roll that I don't make myself again--and it will have nothing raw on it. A shame because I used to love love love my sushi rolls. It has to be a lot more common than people think. I underwent so many tests because I didn't know what was wrong and no tests knew to test for Anasakis which is what I think I had. I could go into more grosser detail here but I won't--suffice to say I KNOW it was a worm. Horrifying.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-24908327906051439292011-07-19T20:06:17.918-04:002011-07-19T20:06:17.918-04:00Hi Ruth,
It's ok safety-wise assuming you are...Hi Ruth,<br /><br />It's ok safety-wise assuming you are cooking the fish to 140F, but it's very unappetizing :(<br /><br />Report it to your CSF and see if they'll give you another fish next week.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />-HelenHelenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-80751939338498123882011-07-19T17:02:07.609-04:002011-07-19T17:02:07.609-04:00Dear Helen,
So I have a question about how many w...Dear Helen,<br /><br />So I have a question about how many worms may be too many worms in one's fish. I'm wondering because a friend of mine filleted a fish for us to share, and found two quarter sized "nests" of worms in the fish (one in the body cavity the other in the muscle). Do you have thoughts about whether or not that's okay? Let me know, thanks!<br /><br />RuthRuth Orme-Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16380935539773317787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-76928625980746521192011-07-19T16:58:43.236-04:002011-07-19T16:58:43.236-04:00Hi Helen,
Thank you so much for this insight. I j...Hi Helen,<br /><br />Thank you so much for this insight. I joined a CSF (Community Supported Fishery) this year, buying a seasonal share to split between myself and a friend. Today, however, she found herself filleting one of the fish from our share to discover two quarter sized "nests" (i don't really know what you'd call them) of worms. One was in the meat itself, the other in the body cavity. The question we have is, how many worms are too many worms? I asked the fishery, but they haven't responded yet, and I'm wondering if I should venture on and try this for dinner tonight.<br /><br />Thanks!<br />RuthRuth Orme-Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16380935539773317787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-16310958879990367332011-06-28T07:58:51.193-04:002011-06-28T07:58:51.193-04:00DrO,
Thanks for the info about tapeworms. I am w...DrO,<br /><br />Thanks for the info about tapeworms. I am wondering why you might suspect a pulled pork sandwich? In order for pork to shred like that, it has to be cooked for hours and will be at least 180F inside (most likely around 200F). Wouldn't tapeworm die at that temperature? <br /><br />About sushi -- most sushi served in restaurants has to be previously frozen. From what I understand, parasites can't survive in such cold temperature. <br /><br />Cheers,<br />-HelenHelenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-60844387788584055142011-06-27T16:32:08.877-04:002011-06-27T16:32:08.877-04:00Interesting blog -- thanks! I eat all of my fish c...Interesting blog -- thanks! I eat all of my fish cooked (see below), because I would only trust a sushi/sashimi chef in Japan.<br /><br />Cases of fish tapeworms do occur. Around 1988, one of my freshman biology students came to my office after my "invertebrates" lecture, during which I always discussed trematodes, cestodes (flatworms) and nematodes (roundworms). I had told my students you can sometimes see tiny roundworms or the proglottids of tapeworms in fecal material (e.g., your own or your pet's). I also told them how to detect pinworms in young children. <br /><br />Apparently, the next time the student had a bowel movement, she looked in the toilet and saw lots of proglottids. She came to see me the day after, because she was understandably upset about it. I helped her re-trace her steps to figure out where she could have picked up a tapeworm-initially I thot it most likely she had picked up a pork tapeworm by eating a pulled pork sandwich, e.g., at a county fair. However, the only thing that made any sense was that she had recently been to New York City, where she had eaten sushi for the first time. So, I advised her to consult a medical doctor to see if she might have a fish tapeworm.<br /><br />After that, I didn't see her for about 3 weeks. When she finally came back, she said she indeed had fish tapeworms and when the doctor gave her the anthelmintic drug, she hemmorhaged internally and ended up in the hospital. The hospital doctor said the tapeworm(s) had probably been killed too quickly(?), which resulted in the intestinal bleeding (on top of the anemia she had from having tapeworms in the first place). She said the hospital doctor said he would have recommended a lower initial dose of the anthelmintic (to kill off some worms?), followed by a higher dose later on. That way, she wouldn't have had so many perforations in her intestinal lining at once. I am not a medical doctor, and this is only second-hand information. I did ask my student to tell her regular doctor about this so that he might know how to better treat patients for intestinal tapeworms in the future. <br /><br />I should add that some years ago I read a note in Science News about a surgeon who had to resort to exploratory surgery because he couldn't figure out what was wrong with a patient who frequently ate sushi. As he was doing the surgery, he saw some pink trematodes creeping across his glove, which turned out to be a taxonomically unknown species. The implication was that it wasn't the common, Nanophyetus salmincola. However, I've tried to Google about this to get more info about the supposedly unknown parasite, to no avail.DrOnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-13025357379037737162011-06-22T21:28:20.700-04:002011-06-22T21:28:20.700-04:00most decent restaurants will undercook their salmo...most decent restaurants will undercook their salmon :) Yes, doctors can test you for tapeworm. I personally wouldn't worry about it, but I am not a doctor.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-52865710088944484172011-06-22T20:05:17.290-04:002011-06-22T20:05:17.290-04:00Can a doctor test for the presence of tapeworm in ...Can a doctor test for the presence of tapeworm in the body of someone who is not symptomatic of one? I had some fresh samon that I may have slightly undercooked (done with the exception of some slightly darker pink flesh in the middle). Am I just being a worry-wort?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-1936640254309970522010-05-25T23:42:34.728-04:002010-05-25T23:42:34.728-04:00seems that Jewish people are not allowed to eat th...seems that Jewish people are not allowed to eat these worms for religious reasons,<br />see this video..<br />move it to the 2 minute mark<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIuV1rRosI4Gingernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-49533044046476273262010-01-22T16:39:41.339-05:002010-01-22T16:39:41.339-05:00Hi there,
First of all, I am terribly sorry to he...Hi there,<br /><br />First of all, I am terribly sorry to hear about your parasite infection. I am sure it was extremely unpleasant and I understand your reluctance to ever ear un-cooked fish again. <br /><br />That being said, I think it's important to realize that there is always some risk associated with eating. To some people the risk is worth it, to others it's not. I never claim that raw fish is 100% safe to eat. Nothing is. People who don't want to take any chances should eat NOTHING raw. Remember the e.coli in spinach scare? Sure it happens, but should we suggest everyone stops eating spinach salad and only consumes spinach cooked? <br /><br />To put things in perspective -- the worms have a huge ick factor, but compared to e.coli they are way less harmful. <br /><br />Another thing I can suggest you look into (if you haven't lost all interest in curing fish), is using arctic char. It is farm-raised inland (from what I understand), and should have way less incidence of parasites than salmon. I am not guaranteeing its safety, but you might want to do a little research and decide if the risk is small enough to be tolerable (or maybe not ;)<br /><br />Cheers,<br />-HelenHelenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-70954520376882699192010-01-20T19:30:20.815-05:002010-01-20T19:30:20.815-05:00You should all know that I USED to make my own gra...You should all know that I USED to make my own gravlox from salmon, but don't anymore because I have had the fish roundworm from eating my homemade gravlox--from farm raised fish. This was cured for 3 days with a large amount of salt, sugar, and spices. I had NO symtoms of infection until a 10 inch worm came out when using the bathroom. I went to a doctor immediately and was treated. The doctors recommend NEVER eating raw fish--but I did not ask them about freezing the fish first. However, I will NEVER eat raw or cured fish again, as the experience is so unpleasant if you get a parasite infection. I would much rather go downhill skiing and break my leg! Raw uncured fish is even more likely to contain parasites than cured or smoked fish--even farm raised fish. And please do not tell people that if they have no symtoms, they are fine. Some signs of parasite infection are so mild at first that you easily dismiss them. Please don't make sweeping comments about raw fish consuption--according to the CDC, there is ALWAYS some risk of illness unless fish or meat is cooked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-65190789592395383502009-12-06T21:16:05.270-05:002009-12-06T21:16:05.270-05:00tapeworm is not present in farmed salmon (at least...tapeworm is not present in farmed salmon (at least not normally). if you are cooking the fish, stop worrying. even if it has the tapeworm, cooking will kill it. if you are eating it raw, that's another story.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12271344371852988017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17422713.post-58648226476049185152009-12-06T18:30:01.481-05:002009-12-06T18:30:01.481-05:00i don´t understand this:
is tapeworm present in f...i don´t understand this:<br /><br />is tapeworm present in farmed salmon?<br /><br />can a fish be checked somehow?<br /><br />what is the risk of getting tapeworm infection?<br /><br />honestly, i am a bit worried right now...<br /><br />thank you for your answers!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com