Sushi Parasites: It truly is a shame to find out that one of the most eaten foods and absolutely adored by many in the world can bring parasites, but it has happened. In China, a man went to the doctor with stomach aches and an x-ray revealed a little bit more than that.
The case unfolded in the following way - a man living in Guangdong Province, in eastern China went to the Guangzhou Nº8 People's Hospital because he was having stomach aches and itchy skin.
When he got there, some scans were ran and it was discovered that what he had was tapeworm parasites in his entire body.
What exactly are tapeworm parasites? They are flat segmented worms that live in the intestines of some animals and eating undercooked meat from infected animals can produce this parasite infection in humans.
Given this fact, it is not a surprise that the doctors told this Chinese man that his infection could most probably be due to "eating too much sashimi - raw slices of fish," as The Daily Mail reported.
In WEB MD, it says, "Six types of tapeworms are known to infect people. They are usually identified by the animals they come from - for examples Taenia saginata for beef, Taenia solium for pork, and Diphyllobothrium latum from fish." This last one is the one that concerns sushi.
The Diphyllobothrium latum comes from raw fish and the only way to kill the parasite is by adequately freezing it or cooking it.
There are serious consequences that this parasite brings, as CDC reports, "the largest tapeworms that can infect people, can grow up to 30 feet long." That is one rather scary growth.
Now, let's just clear out that not by eating all sorts of sushi this parasite might get into our body. But given the fact that sushi's consistent part is raw fish, then there is a possibility.
