Is it possible to eat fish that have worms: what to do, why it’s dangerous

Parasites are found at every step. If stored or prepared incorrectly, you can become infected with worms from fish (it doesn’t matter whether it’s white or red fish). If you have doubts about the quality of the product, it is better not to use it. If, however, consumption cannot be avoided, then you should visit a doctor as soon as possible for further examination and prescription of effective therapeutic measures.

What worms and how can you get infected from fish?

There are a wide variety of parasites in fish. What do worms look like in aquatic inhabitants? The external characteristics of parasites are varied: from size to color, and the larvae are not visible to the human eye. Before cooking, you should wash and clean the product very carefully. You can catch worms in smelt, mackerel, hake, horse mackerel, cod and other types of aquatic life. Salted, smoked, dried fish and canned fish are common sources of helminth infection. Both sea and river fish can contain a variety of helminths, namely species such as flukes, roundworms and tapeworms. Parasites are not capable of having the same negative impact on aquatic inhabitants as they do to the human body. The most common diseases include infections with opisthorchiasis, diphyllobothriasis, clonorchiasis, ligulosis, and nanophyetosis.

Why is an aquarium attacked by nematodes?

Sources of infection of an aquarium by nematodes can be:

live food;
infected plants, sand, stones;
snails;
the fish themselves.

One of the reasons why roundworms begin to multiply rapidly is overfeeding fish. The remains of uneaten food settle on the bottom and turn into an excellent breeding ground for the development of nematodes.

How dangerous are fish worms?

Fish worms can affect all internal human organs.
What parasites are most dangerous to humans? Fish helminths have a negative impact on the entire human body and all internal systems. This is due to the types of helminths that can cause complications leading not only to surgery, but also to the death of the patient. For example, anisokida larva, when it enters the patient’s intestines, penetrates its walls with the help of incisors, which can provoke rapid hemorrhage from the intestines.

People suffering from opisthorchiasis, if it lasts for a long time, can get a chronic form of the disease, which is fraught with cirrhosis of the liver and subsequent death. In dioctophimosis, helminths mainly live in the bladder, kidney organs and ureters, which allows adult individuals to disrupt the functioning of the urinary system, thereby provoking renal colic and renal failure. This is not the entire list of dangers to humans. If you suspect consumption of worms in fish, you should consult a doctor.

What helminthiasis do people most often suffer from?

Modern medicine knows more than 240 species of worms that can parasitize the human body. Each of these species poses a particular danger, as worms can cause serious complications and irreversible health consequences.

In different regions of the world, certain types of worms may be common, which are practically not found in other countries, such as helminthiases characteristic of the tropics.

In our country, the most common helminths include the following:

Pinworms (enterobiasis);
Roundworms (ascariasis);
Toxocara (toxocariasis);
Whipworm (trichocephalosis);
Trichinella (trichinosis);
Bovine tapeworm (teniarinhoz);
Pork tapeworm (taeniasis, cysticercosis);
Broad tapeworm (diphyllobothriasis);
Echinococcus (echinococcosis).

Very often, infection with worms and the development of helminthiasis goes unnoticed, and people tend to attribute unpleasant symptoms to completely different reasons, especially since helminthiasis can often be detected only with the help of clinical and laboratory tests.

Is it possible to eat fish infected with worms?

The biggest danger to humans is eating raw fish.
If the fish is infected, can it be eaten? If worms are found in frozen fish or fish meat (for example, if there is crucian carp with worms), you should pay attention to compliance with the rules during processing of such a product. If the dish is prepared according to all standards, then there is no danger to the human body. However, consumption of contaminated raw fish or those with improper preparation should be avoided. If for some reason you have eaten such a product, then antiparasitic preventive measures should be taken in the near future.

Whipworms

Whipworm is a helminth that parasitizes the large intestine, where it feeds on the mucous membrane and blood of humans.

After ingestion, the eggs can migrate to areas of different organs, but after the larva leaves the shell, it remains to live in the large intestine. There, mature individuals lay eggs, which can come out along with feces. The helminth grows for 3 months, then it becomes capable of reproduction. One clutch of eggs - 2,000 pcs. The worm can live in the human body for 2-5 years.

Trichocephalosis does not have specific symptoms, but moderate and severe stages may be accompanied by such general symptoms.

Symptoms of whipworm in the body:

diarrhea;
growth retardation (in children);
rectal prolapse.

With mild infestation, nausea, dizziness, convulsions and frequent headaches may occur.

Symptoms of infestation

The first clinical picture of helminthic infestation does not appear immediately and has vague signs. Symptoms depend on the incubation periods of helminth infections, which can range from 2 to 60 days. Common symptoms of parasitic infestation include:

lethargic, drowsy state;
excessive fatigue;
nervousness;
increase in low-grade fever;
allergic reactions;
attacks of nausea and vomiting;
disorders in the gastrointestinal tract;
excessive gas formation;
jumps in weight indicators;
depressive state.

Hookworms

Hookworm infection is caused by a nematode that parasitizes the small intestine. Infection occurs by ingesting the larvae or introducing them through the skin. Once in the bloodstream, they are carried into the right atrium and lungs. After maturation in the lung tissues, the larvae enter the oral cavity, descend down the esophagus and remain in the upper part of the small intestine. The entire migration process takes up to 60 days, life expectancy in the intestines is up to 4 years.

Symptoms of hookworm infestation:

foci of inflammation on the skin;
burning of the skin on the thighs, buttocks, soles of the feet;
fever;
eosinophilia;
salivation;
pseudoulcer syndrome.

The listed symptoms are characteristic of severe infestation; with a small number of parasites in the body, the disease is asymptomatic.

What to do after eating sick fish?

You should consult a doctor as soon as possible.
After eating diseased fish, you should see a doctor as soon as possible for timely diagnosis and early therapeutic measures. A mandatory point is to conduct an examination of all family members, due to the ability of many fish worms to become infected through contact. In order to avoid re-infection, careful adherence to personal hygiene rules and special dietary nutrition are a prerequisite during therapy.

How can you tell if a fish is infected with helminths?

In order to protect yourself and your family from infection with parasites from fish, you should know what an infected product looks like:

the muscles are soft and there is no rigor; if you press on such a fish, the hole will not disappear;
cloudy and dry mucous membrane in the pupils;
easy separation of scales, under which sticky skin is visible;
the fish belly looks saggy and swollen;
marshy gills;
the fish emits a pungent odor;
a strongly protruding anus, from which cloudy discharge may flow.

Pinworms

This species is also widespread; this type of worm is especially common in children. Pinworm infestation (enterobiasis) is quite easily treated with a strict approach to personal hygiene rules.

Infection begins when eggs from dirty hands enter the oral cavity, and then further along the esophagus. After mating, the female pinworm moves to the large intestine (here she stays for 4 weeks, feeding) and the anus to lay eggs in the perianal folds (up to 15,000 pieces). After this, the adult dies.

Symptoms of enterobiasis:

severe itching in the anus (in women it can spread to the external genitalia) in the evening and at night;
stool containing mucus or blood;
sleep disorders (inability to sleep, restless sleep), irritability.

Itching may not be daily, but periodic - this is explained by the life cycle of parasites.

Angiostrongylus vasorum

Proper cooking of fish

Properly cooked fish does not pose any threat to human health.
Compliance with what measures can protect a person from fish worms (it doesn’t matter if they are found in capelin, crucian carp or some other type of fish)? Proper preparation and storage of fish will help avoid infection with helminthic infestations. Raw fish recipes can be prepared following these rules:

you should use fish that have been raised under artificial conditions (artificial food, proper care and anti-parasitic control);
seafood caught from the ocean must be frozen on board and thawed before consumption;
river fish are mostly susceptible to worms, which pose a danger to human health (with the exception of sturgeon, they do not contain worms), as a result, they should be properly processed before consumption.

Freezing

Properly frozen fish does not have dangerous consequences for the human body. In order to disinfect fish from worms, it should be frozen; to ensure the correct procedure, the fish must be kept in the freezer for 5 days at a temperature of -20°C. However, the freezer compartment of a regular refrigerator maintains temperature ranges from 11 °C to 18 °C. Such conditions increase the storage of fish for the purpose of preventing worms by up to 2 weeks.

Heat treatment

Insufficient heat treatment is one of the common causes of parasite infection.
The cooking period for fish should be at least 20 minutes after the water has boiled. It is recommended to cut the fish carcass into large pieces for cooking. If a whole or large fish is subjected to the boiling process, then its duration must be increased. Fry each side for 10 minutes or more (depending on the portions of the product) with the lid on. When grilling, there is a possibility that the end part will not be able to reach the temperature that kills worms (over 100°C). Bake the fish for at least 40 minutes. Worms from smoked fish can also infect the human body, so special attention should be paid to the quality and appearance of the product.

Salting

Salted, dried and dried fish contain the most worms. Salting fish should be done in portions of no more than 2 kg each. The safest fish is considered to be fish that has been salted in the cold for 15-20 days in well-salted brine. The process of drying fish should be carried out for at least 21 days; after this period, dried fish is considered safe for humans.

Also, during any preparation of an aquatic product, sanitary standards should be observed, namely:

avoid tasting raw minced meat;
ensure that raw fish does not come into contact with other products;
When defrosting a product, you should not leave it in the open air;
for cutting fish there must be a separate surface and a separate knife;
Experts recommend using gloves when working with fish.

Consumption of aquatic inhabitants with worms or the appearance of any symptoms indicating infection with parasites is not a reason to self-medicate. In such situations, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible and undergo a thorough examination of all family members. An advanced helminthic infestation (infecting all systems of the body) threatens with dangerous consequences not only for the human body, but also dangerous for his life in general. Special control should be exercised over dishes made from raw fish, as this type of food is dangerous due to helminthic infestations. Dangerous parasites in fish and their larvae are a common occurrence, but compliance with all rules and regulations during transportation and preparation of the product can protect a person’s safety.

Prevention

A number of simple measures will eliminate the need to fight worms.

Every 7 days it is necessary to clean the aquarium and partially change the water. Before using stones and decorations, they are thoroughly disinfected. The stones are cleaned of moss and dirt and calcined in the oven.

The decor is also washed with warm water and, if the material allows, left in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for a day, after which it is rinsed and allowed to dry. Soil and sand can also be kept in the oven.

If you cannot do without live food, then it is better to buy it in stores rather than get it yourself. You need to be especially careful when feeding fish with tubifex, insect larvae, and copepods.

Echinococcus

Echinococcosis is caused by the larval form of tapeworm, which can be contracted through contact with animals, eating unwashed vegetables, and drinking water from open sources. There are 4 stages of the disease: latent, mild, pronounced and complicated.

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General symptoms:

allergic urticaria;
fever;
chills;
pain in the abdomen (upper half).

It is possible to determine the pathology without the help of doctors only if the cyst is large - when palpated, a tight and elastic tumor is felt. Possible rupture of the cyst (the most severe complication).