Parasitic live worms found inside stomach of sushi guzzler

Sushi has been linked to stomach worms in news that may have you reconsidering your plans for your next meal.

According to BMJ Case Reports, the growing popularity of raw fish in the West is leading to an increase in parasitic worm infections, known as anisakiasis.

The stomach complaint is caused by the ingestion of parasitic larvae found in contaminated raw or undercooked fish or seafood.

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The report said that most cases of anisakiasis were found in Japan, but the condition “has been increasingly recognised in Western countries”.

Symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting and complications such as digestive bleeding and bowel obstruction and perforation. Patients can also suffer a low-grade fever, the report said.

Portuguese medics gave the example of a “previously healthy” 32-year-old man, who was admitted to hospital after suffering severe pain, vomiting and low-grade fever for a week.

They wrote in the report: “On physical examination, he had moderate abdominal tenderness. After a careful interview, he revealed that he recently ate sushi.”

The alarming footage of a worm wriggling around in the lining of the man’s gut was captured by an endoscope inserted into his throat.

A device called a Roth Net was then used to remove the unwelcome visitors from the man’s stomach.

“The patient’s symptoms resolved immediately,” the medics wrote.

Dr Joana Carmo, a gastroenterologist at the Egas Moniz hospital in Lisbon, concluded: “Owing to changes in food habits, anisakiasis is a growing disease in Western countries, which should be suspected in patients with a history of ingestion of raw or uncooked fish.”

(Top picture: Rex)