Probable pulmonary anisakiasis accompanying pleural effusion

The first probable human case of pulmonary anisakiasis is reported. A 37-year-old Japanese person in California developed pleural effusion after consumption of raw salmon at a seafood restaurant in San Francisco. A marked eosinophilia was noted in the blood and pleural exudate. The patient was tested for helminthic infections by intradermal, complement fixation, Ouchterlony, and immunoelectrophoresis tests using antigens of various worm species. A specific precipitin band was recognized only with Anisakis (Type I larvae) antigen.