Doctors: Sushi Parasite Cases On The Rise

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Cases of "anisakiasis," also called herring worm disease, are on the rise in Western countries, possibly due to the growing popularity of sushi, according to the medical journal BMJ Case Reports.

In one report released last week, the journal detailed the case of a 32-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital with severe abdomen pain, vomiting and a fever.

Doctors learned that he recently ate sushi, performed an endoscopy, and found parasite larvae attached to the lining of his stomach.

Most cases of the parasite have occurred in Japan, but the disease in increasingly common elsewhere, the report said.

Symptoms can also include bowel obstruction, digestive bleeding, and abdomen inflammation and allergic symptoms like itching and anaphalaxis.

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