Parasitic zoonoses associated with consumption of raw fish meat

Abstract

Brazil is one of the major world powers for fish-farming, with a fishing and aquaculture production volume reaching more than one million tons in 2004. National Aquaculture production is growing on average 21.1% annually, surpassing statistically other activities of national importance such as cattle farming. However the per capita consumption is low, about 6 kg per year due to the high cost of the final product and eating habits that value the consumption of bovine meat. The meat of the fish is a source of high biological value protein, and is rated as nutritionally beneficial to human health by being an important source of essential aminoacids, vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. The fish can be marketed as fresh, chilled or frozen, the first one being the national preference. Inspection of the product to be marketed should be carefully observed, evaluating the organoleptic characteristics and presence of parasites found in the flesh. When the fish are cultivated, so are all sea food creatures, are subjected to factors that lead to stress and as a consequence may arise concomitant diseases, particularly parasitic diseases, which are a risk to public health since some of these parasites cause zoonosis. The increasing incidence of parasitic zoonosis are associated with the consumption of raw fish or insufficiently cooked, and food habits that encourages ingestion of this type of meat, such as sushi and sashimi of eastern culture. The main parasitic zoonosis is transmitted by this inadequate consumption are anisakiasis, eustrongiliase the capilariase the fagicolose the clonorquiose and diphyllobothriasis. Until this moment, there are few reports of parasitic diseases in humans in Brazil, probably due to lack of diagnosis and not by the absence of disease in the country. The sanitary inspection of products fish derivated is still scarce and studies concerning the importance of fish parasites in our country are reduced. Thus the best recommendation would be preventive abstinence from consumption of raw fish or meat not cooked properly, but heat treatment like cooking, is able to eliminate the parasite activity both in their adult and larval form, and freezing at -20 º C for seven days, or -35 º C for not less than fifteen hours, is also described as effective in eliminating these parasites. Health authorities, fish-farmers, veterinarians should seek greater control with regards to fish diseases of zoonotic character, from production to marketing of fish, to decrease the morbidity and mortality of the livestock, improve the quality of fish for consumers avoiding, for a prophylactic measure, the spread of zoonosis transmitted by fish.