Absence of anisakis nematodes in smoked farmed Atlantic salmon (<em>Salmo salar</em>) products on sale in European countries

Abstract

The increase of global demand of aquaculture products as compensation for the lowering of fishery sustainability, has shown a parallel awareness by the consumers on the importance of the safety and quality of fish products. Among these, salmon industry has reached a leading position demonstrating the negligible risk of presence of zoonotic helminths such as anisakid nematodes in farmed salmon. Despite the massive production of data in literature on parasitological surveys carried out on fresh salmon, no data are published on processed farmed salmon such as smoked products. In 2016, 270 fillets of smoked farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and 13 smoked fillets from wild sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) have been analyzed by visual inspection and UV-press method searching for the presence of anisakid nematodes. No parasites were detected in fillets from farmed Atlantic salmon, while 10 out of 13 fillets from wild salmon were positive for Anisakis simplex s.s. larvae. This first survey on the possible presence of anisakid nematodes in processed smoked salmon confirms that this risk in farmed Atlantic salmon products has to be considered negligible.

Zoonotic diseases of fish and their prevention and control

“…Anisakis larvae have been previously detected in fish products such as fish steaks, frozen fish fillets, fish fingers, and cod fillets (Ramos 2020 ). The presence of Anisakis nematodes was investigated in the smoked wild sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) and farmed Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) products (Pardo González et al 2020 ). Although the samples collected from smoked wild sockeye salmon were tested positive (10 out of 13) for Anisakis simplex s.s. larvae, no parasites were detected from the farmed Atlantic salmon samples indicating negligible risk in farmed fish (Pardo González et al 2020 ).…”

“…The presence of Anisakis nematodes was investigated in the smoked wild sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) and farmed Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) products (Pardo González et al 2020 ). Although the samples collected from smoked wild sockeye salmon were tested positive (10 out of 13) for Anisakis simplex s.s. larvae, no parasites were detected from the farmed Atlantic salmon samples indicating negligible risk in farmed fish (Pardo González et al 2020 ). Different strategies have to be implemented to prevent the entry of Anisakis and other parasites into the fish farms.…”

“…This includes the freezing of trash fish used for feeding farmed fish and the reinforcement of water entry points using nets to prevent the entry of wild fish (Ramos 2020 ). The risk of anisakiasis can be further reduced by subjecting the entire raw fish to thermal treatment (>60 °C, >1 min or − 20 °C, >24 h) prior to consumption (Pardo González et al 2020 ). Considering the potential risk of transmitting zoonotic fish parasites via raw or undercooked fish and fish products, European Union (EU) made freezing treatment mandatory for fish products [Regulation No.…”

Location and elimination of Anisakis simplex third stage larvae in Atlantic herring Clupea harengus L

“…Well characterized infections occur in gadids such as hake ( Ceballos-Mendiola et al, 2010 ; Cipriani et al, 2015 ; Pascual et al, 2018 ; Santos et al, 2022 ); blue whiting ( Gomez-Mateos et al, 2016 ; Molina-Fernandez et al, 2018 ) and Atlantic cod ( Yang et al, 2013 ; Mehrdana et al, 2014 ; Severin et al, 2020 ; Mercken et al, 2021 ; Karami et al, 2022 ), scombrids such as mackerel ( Gutierrez-Galindo et al, 2010 ; Abattouy et al, 2011 ; Levsen et al, 2018 ), scorpaenids such as redfish ( Klapper et al, 2015 ), clupeids such as Atlantic herring ( Khalil, 1969 , Smith and Wootten, 1975 ; Tolonen and Karlsbakk, 2003 ; Campbell et al, 2007 ; Bao et al, 2017 ; Mattiucci et al, 2018 ; Guardone et al, 2019 ), anchovies ( Mladineo et al, 2012 ; Cipriani et al, 2016 , 2018 ) and sardines ( Buselic et al, 2018 ), salmonids such as Atlantic and Pacific salmon ( Karl et al, 2011 ; Kent et al, 2020 ) and moronids such as seabass ( Bernardi et al, 2011 ). Aquacultured fish kept in captivity, isolated from the environment and fed by artificial and heated fish feed, devoid of infective larvae, are generally found non-infected ( Levsen and Maage, 2016 ; Penalver et al, 2010 ; Skov et al, 2009 , 2014 ; Gonzalez et al, 2020 ; Castiglione et al, 2021 ; Fioravanti et al, 2021 ; Karami et al, 2022 ). One of the marine fish species known to carry significant burdens of Anisakis simplex is the Atlantic herring, Clupea harengus.…”

Intestinal Obstruction for Anisakiasis: Surgical and Physical Therapy Treatment

“…The larvae of Anisakis have been found in raw or frozen fish fillets, including cod fillets and fish fingers [ 5 ]. However, the risk of encountering these nematodes appears to be insignificant, especially in fish sourced from aquaculture farms [ 6 ].…”