Omental anisakiasis: a rare mimic of acute appendicitis

The authors recently encountered a patient with omental anisakiasis who presented with features of acute appendicitis and who made an uneventful recovery following resection of an inflammatory omental mass containing the larva(e). Anisakiasis refers to infestation of humans by species of marine nematode larvae belonging to the subfamily Anisakinae. Although this condition is rarely reported in the United States, it has been well described both in Holland and in the Orient. Several publications in the Japanese literature have detailed the morphology of the parasite and the clinical symptoms of infestation. The source of infestation is most often raw or uncooked fish, the latter widely enjoyed as a foodstuff in the Orient, but less popular in the United States. With the growing popularity of "sushi" bars and the increasing numbers of Americans developing a taste for raw fish, this condition may become more prevalent in the future.