Mousa et al. /Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences 2015, 46: 110-116 Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences 2015, 46: 110-116 ISSN 1110-2047, www.alexjvs.com DOI: 10.5455/ajvs.189505 Parasitic Hazard of Some Imported Frozen Fish Mohamed M. Mousa1, Fatma A. Hiekal2, Samia M. EL-Hoshey3 and Mohamed A. Khamis 1 1Department of Food hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. 2 Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt. 3 Department of Food hygiene, Alex Food Lab, Animal Health Research Institute, Alexandria, Egypt. Key words ABSTRACT: A total of 100 frozen fishes belonging to four different fish species were examined for presence of Frozen fish; Parasites, Nematode, different types of parasites during the period from April 2014 till the end of November 2014. Anisakis Examination of the fish specimens revealed infestation with four different parasitic classes that included Nematoda, Trematoda, Protozoa and Crustacea. When categorized according to species of fish, Herring fish (Clupea harengus ) was the most susceptible to parasitic infection with a total infection rate of 96% for different types of parasites. This was followed by Mackerel (Scomber scombrus ) with an infection rate of 92% , then the Horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) at the infection rate of 88%, and finally the Fish fillet (Pangasius hypophthalmus) was the least susceptible to parasites with the lowest infection rate of 16%.herring fish (Clupea harengus) was highly susceptible to Nematode infection at an infection rate of 92%, which was followed by infection with Protozoa (1.8%),Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) was susceptible to Nematode infection at the infection rate of 97.09% and to Protozoa with infection rate of 1.94%, while the infection rate with Crustacea was 0.97,Horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) was susceptible to Nematode infection at the infection rate of 97.8% and to Trematodes with 1.1% infection rate and to Crustacea with a rate of 1.1% and Fish fillet (Pangasius hypophthalmus) was susceptible to Trematodes with an infection rate of 16%. Corresponding Author: Mohamed A. Khamis: [email protected]. 1. INTRODUCTION tract (Lopez Serrano et al., 2000, Chai et al., 2005 Nowadays, frozen fishes are considered as and Abd El-Ghany, 2007). one of the most important source of protein used in Moreover, and owing to the thermo stability of Egypt for its price and quality. Additionally, Anisakis simplex allergens, the ingestion of safely imported fish considered as one of the cheapest and cooked fish containing Anisakis simplex allergens promising source of protein that overcome the within dead parasites can also be potentially problem of shortage of animal source protein’s dangerous and can cause severe allergic reaction shortage due to limited animal production such as contact dermatitis and asthma (Audicana et capabilities (Norman, 1951). Regarding parasitic al., 2002 and EL-Daly et al., 2004). diseases of frozen fishes, about thirteen types of So the aim of the present study is to examine parasites were of concern to the food scientists in different fish types and species that were retailed at the United States (Jackson, 1990). Anisakid larvae Alexandria markets in order to detect different types are the most important group of nematode parasites of parasites. Also the second major aim is to survey that affect marine fishes. Anisakis or Anasikidiosis which type of fish is mostly infected with the referred to infection of people with larval stage of parasites, and to undertake a comparison between nematodes belonging to family Anisakidae. This male and female in relation to severity of infection disease is common and widely distributed in with different types of parasites. countries of far East and South East Asia where 2. MATERIAL AND METHODS: there is a habit of consuming raw, inadequately The duration of the work was extended from April cooked, pickled, semi-salted or smoked fishes 2014 till the end of November 2014, we worked on containing the third larval stages of Anisakis about ten fishes per month. The study was carried species. Larvae of Anisakid are found in the viscera out on 100 frozen fishes that belong to four different and muscle of wide range of fish and Cephalopod species as follow: twenty five herring fish, twenty mollusk species. Human are accidental host in the five mackerel fish, twenty five horse mackerel fish; life cycle, nevertheless parasites almost never and twenty five fish fillet which was collected from developed further within the human gastrointestinal different retail markets at Alexandria. In order to 110 Mousa et al. /Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences 2015, 46: 110-116 examine for parasitic infection, the frozen fish was and to Protozoa with infection rate of 1.94%, while allowed to thaw at room temperature for 3-4 hours the infection rate with Crustacea was 0.97% and it under running tap water. In the laboratory, the fishes was free from Trematodes as recorded in Table (3). were autopsied separately in Petri dish according to Kabata (Kabata, 1985). Horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) was Autopsy was carried out as the following. Muscles, susceptible to Nematode infection at the infection body cavity, internal organs and gonads were rate of 97.8% and to Trematodes with 1.1% examined visually for the presence of larvae. To infection rate and to Crustacea with a rate of 1.1% examine further for parasites, the Compression and it was free from Protozoa Table (3). technique and the digestion method were used according to Jackson and Manfredi (Jackson et al., Fish fillet (Pangasius hypophthalmus) was 1981 and Manfredi et al., 2000). susceptible to Trematodes with an infection rate of Examination of muscle was done by the methods of 16%, while it was free from Nematodes, Protozoa compression and digestion using pepsin according and Crustacea Table (3). to FDA method and Bier (Bier et al., 1984). Fixation, staining and mounting of Trematodes were Nematodes recovered from examined fish included done as previously published (Carleton, 1957, Anisakis simplex that was recovered from Herring Lucky, 1977 and Beaver et al., 1984). On the other fish (Clupea harengus), Mackerel (Scomber hand, fixation and mounting of Nematodes , and scombrus) and Horse mackerel (Trachurus Crustacea were done according previously mediterraneus). The relative prevalence was 58.5%, published methods (Belding, 1965, Whitelock, 57.28% and 56.04%, respectively. Internal organs 1966, Lucky, 1977 and Kruse and Pritchard, 1982). that were mainly infected included intestine, liver, Finally, collection, fixation, staining and mounting air sac, and gonads Table 4. Also, muscle was of Coccidia were done according to Molnar reported to be infected as the case in the Horse (Molnar, 1989). mackerel and Mackerel fish Table (4). 3. RESULTS Contracaecum species were recovered from Herring The total number of infected fish with different fish (Clupea harengus), Mackerel (Scomber parasites was 73 (73%). When categorized, the scombrus) and Horse mackerel (Trachurus number of fish that was infected with Nematodes mediterraneus). The relative prevalence was was 69 (69%), that with Trematodes was 7 (7%), 17.12%, 24.27% and 19.78%, respectively. that with Crustacea was 2 (2%), and that infected Infection distribution in the internal organs included with Coccidia was 4 (4%), respectively Table (1). intestine, peritoneal cavity, intestine, liver surface and gonads Table (4). In regard to susceptibility of examined fish types to parasitic infection, Herring fish (Clupea harengus ) Pseudo terranova species was recovered from was the most susceptible to parasitic infection with a Herring fish (Clupea harengus), Mackerel (Scomber cumulative infection rate of 96% with different scombrus) and Horse mackerel (Trachurus species of parasites. This is followed by Mackerel mediterraneus) with a relative prevalence of 22.5%, (Scomber scombrus ) at an infection rate of 92% , 15.53% and 21.98%, in the infected fish types, then the Horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) respectively, and were mainly recovered from with 88% infection rate, while the Fish fillet intestine, peritoneal cavity, intestine, liver surface (Pangasius hypophthalmus) was the least and gonads Table (4). susceptible to parasitic infection with the lowest Concerning Trematodes recovered from fish, infection rate of 16%, respectively Table (2). Clinostomum species were recovered from Fish fillet (Pangasius hypophthalmus) and Horse In relation to the host-parasite specificity, herring mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus), with a relative fish (Clupea harengus) was highly susceptible to prevalence of 16% and 1.1%, respectively. Nematode infection at an infection rate of 92%, Trematodes were infecting intestine of Horse which was followed by infection with Protozoa mackerel and muscle of Fillet. On the other hand, all (1.8%), while it was free from infection with examined fishes were free from Monogenean Trematodes and Crustacea as recorded in Table (3). Trematodes Table (4). In regard to Protozoa that were recovered from fish, Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) was susceptible to Coccidia species were recovered from intestine of Nematode infection at the infection rate of 97.09% Herring fish (Clupea harengus) and Mackerel 111 Mousa et al. /Alexandria Journal of Veterinary Sciences 2015, 46: 110-116 (Scomber scombrus) with a relative prevalence of mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus) and Mackerel 1.8% and 1.9%,