Korean J Parasitol.  2019 Apr;57(2):207-211. 10.3347/kjp.2019.57.2.207.

Molecular Identification of Anisakis Larvae Extracted by Gastrointestinal Endoscopy from Health Check-up Patients in Korea

• Song H
• Jung BK
• Cho J
• Chang T
• Huh S
• Chai JY

• KMID: 2448155
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3347/kjp.2019.57.2.207

Abstract

Anisakiasis is a zoonotic disease induced by anisakid nematodes, and endoscopic inspection is used for a diagnosis or remedy for it. Anisakis simplex, Anisakis physeteris, and Pseudoterranova decipiens had been reported to be the major species causing human infections, particularly, in Japan. However, in Korea, recent studies strongly suggested that Anisakis pegreffii is the major species of human infections. To support this suggestion, we collected anisakid larvae (n=20) from 20 human patients who were undergone gastrointestinal endoscopy at a health check-up center in Korea, and molecular identification was performed on the larvae using PCR-RFLP analysis and gene sequencing of rDNA ITS regions and mtDNA cox2. In addition, anisakid larvae (n=53) collected from the sea eel (Astroconger myriaster) were also examined for comparison with those extracted from humans. The results showed that all human samples (100%) were identified as A. pegreffii, whereas 90.7% of the samples from the sea eel were A. pegreffii with the remaining 9.3% being Hysterothylacium aduncum. Our study confirmed that A. pegreffii is the predominant species causing human anisakiasis in Korea, and this seems to be due to the predominance of this larval type in the fish (sea eels) popularly consumed by the Korean people. The possibility of human infection with H. aduncum in Korea is also suggested.

Keyword

Anisakis pegreffii; Anisakis simplex sensu stricto; Hysterothylacium aduncum; anisakiasis; anisakid larva; gastrointestinal endoscopy; sequencing; internal transcribed spacer (ITS); cox2

MeSH Terms

Anisakiasis
Anisakis*
Diagnosis
DNA, Mitochondrial
DNA, Ribosomal
Eels
Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal*
Humans
Japan
Korea*
Larva*
Zoonoses
DNA, Mitochondrial
DNA, Ribosomal