Health risks of seafood borne parasitic diseases

Parasites are the most prevailing infectious agents transmitted through food make the significant global burden of diseases and financial damage. Parasites are found in/on Seafood comprise of edible marine shellfishes (mollusks and crustacea), finfishes (cartilaginous and bony), mammals (seals, whales and dugong), and other organisms pose novel risks to public health. It has been implicated in 10-25 percent of total food borne diseases (FBDs) outbreaks. More than 70 etiologic agents of protozoan, helminths and acanthocephalan are responsible for many debilitating diseases and syndromes. Protozoan parasites associated with seafood borne infectious diseases are Giardiasis, Cryptosporidiosis and Toxoplasmosis. Whereas, helminthic diseases are Nematodiases, Cestodiases and Trematodiases. The nematodiases associated with seafoodborne infectious diseases are Anisakidosis, Capillariasis and Trichinellosis. Similarly, cestodiases re-emergence diseases are Diphyllobothriosis and Diplogonoporosis through a few species of marine and anadromous fishes. Only digenetic trematodes implicated trematodiases are a group of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Depending on the species, trematodes transmitted by the ingestion of seafood may reach sexual maturity in the liver and their diseases termed as Clonorchiasis and Opisthorchiasis, or lung called Paragonimiasis. Further, Clonorchiasis and Opisthorchiasis are associated with cholangiocarcinoma and adenocarcinoma, respectively. Heterophyiases are enteric by intestinal trematodes incriminating Heterophyiasis, Metagonimiasis and Nanophyetidiasis. Acanthocephaliasis in humans appears to be rare and accidental with seafood. High risks of parasitic diseases are prevalent in certain ethnic groups who favor the consumption of raw or partially cooked seafood as well as harvested from defined geographical areas. The global pervasiveness of seafood borne diseases requires expanded surveillance and monitoring proficiency to counter these emerging diseases and to ensure risks free seafood.

Dr. Samanta S. Khora is currently working as a Professor at Vellore Institute of Technology, India. He published many articles in reputed journals and attended many international conferences and presented so many papers.