Anisakiasis in China: the first clinical case report

Anisakiasis is a parasitic disease acquired by humans when ingesting raw or undercooked fish infected with L3 larvae of the nematode genus Anisakis or Pseudoterranova. Here we report the first case of human anisakiasis in China. The patient, male, 56 years old, Dalian citizen, was admitted into the hospital with vomiting, peripheral umbilicus and abdominal distension, and frequent mucous diarrhea. The patient was examined using an electronic gastroscope, which displayed a parasite residing in the stomach, and subsequently gastroscope-assisted surgery was implemented. A white round worm was removed from the patient and stained. It was identified as L3 larvae of Anisakis. After the removal of the L3 larvae of Anisakis, the inflammation symptoms disappeared. As the first report of clinical case of Anisakis infection in China, the morphology of L3 Anisakis larvae from the patient is described and discussed. We conclude that anisakiasis should be considered in patients who have a habit of eating raw fish and who display associated symptoms.