To date, very few people know that there is a high probability due to raw fish to become infected with helminthiasis. Helminthiasis is a disease that occurs when worms get into the human body.
According to WHO, 80-90% of both sea and river fish are carriers of worms. Recently, the greatest number of helminths is found in such fish as mackerel, hake, cod, herring. There are established standards that say that the presence of 3-4 helminths in fish meat is considered permissible. But what if the number of detected parasites exceeds this rate?
I would like to pay more attention to this type of fish, such as mackerel, which belongs to the group of perch-shaped and is very popular among domestic consumers.
Is mackerel with worms?
Mackerel, like any other marine fish, can be infected with worms( pictured).
Are there worms in fresh-frozen mackerel? If you notice helminths in fresh-frozen mackerel, do not worry. It's enough just to carefully gut the fish and heat it. But there are cases when it is not possible to detect parasites by eye, as they do not always live in caviar, intestine or air bladder. Sometimes worms penetrate into the meat of the fish. In such situations helminths can be seen if the meat is brought to the light.
Do mackerel worms and how do they look?
Perhaps, it is worthwhile to list which worms are most often found in mackerel and describe their appearance:
- Siberian fluke( opisthorchiasis) - small( 8-18 mm), oval, pointed, anterior end;
- Chinese fluke( clonorhoz) - helminth oblong form, dimensions do not exceed 20 mm;
- The wide ribbon, or diphyllobothriasis, is oval-oblong in shape, slightly flattened at the sides, the length can be up to 4-5 centimeters;
- Metagonome is round and very small( 1-2.5 millimeters in length);
- Ligulosis - worms look like long flat worms, the length of which in some cases reached 100-120 centimeters;
- Nanophytozis is a small pear-shaped parasite. Its length does not exceed one and a half centimeters.
Especially it is necessary to allocate anizakidoz( on a photo), because 75% of sea fish is infected with this helminth. But since science has paid little attention to this type of parasites, they still remain insufficiently studied. Therefore, doctors have not yet developed the only correct treatment plan for patients with anisakidosis.
Anisakids differ in their appearance. They can be elongated, covered with transparent capsules, or rolled up( in the form of a wide ring or spiral).Their length is from 3.5 cm to 5 cm.
If during the cutting of fish you have found worms similar in description to anisakid, then it is better to get rid of this fish. The difference of this pathogen from the others is that if, after catch, the fish is not immediately cleaned and gutted, the helminth from the intestine moves to the meat of the fish. Even the anisakids can tolerate temperatures as high as 70 degrees Celsius. Therefore, when you eat smoked or dried fish, you can not be sure that the parasites have died.
Worms in mackerel, can you eat?
What to do if found in the mackerel worms( pictured)?Is it possible to protect yourself from helminth infection?
It is not worth completely refusing to eat fish. It is enough just to observe all the rules of storage and preparation:
- helminths die at temperatures below 25 degrees and above 100 degrees Celsius;
- immediately after the purchase it is desirable to cut the fish and carefully inspect its insides;
- it is necessary to freeze fish immediately after it has been caught;
- defrosts the fish immediately for a couple of hours before cooking;
- with amputation worms die only after 12-14 days;
- fish must be dried for three weeks;
- before frying fish it is necessary to cut it into small pieces in advance and pick it up for at least a couple of hours. Fry it for at least 20 minutes;
- if you want to cook fish, then after boiling water in boiling water it should be at least 30 minutes;
- is strictly forbidden to try fish and minced fish during cooking;
- during cooking it is also desirable to heat-treat the knife you cut the fish and the cutting board.