To be certain of not ingesting solitary worms, meat and fish should either be well cooked or frozen before consumption.
At the Rennes University Hospital, seven patients with fish tapeworm were diagnosed, an “exceptional figure over such a short period”, underlines Florence Robert-Gangneux, professor in the laboratory of parasitology-mycology at the University Hospital, quoted by 20 minutes.
Better known as “tapeworms”, tapeworms are flatworms that parasitize the digestive tract of vertebrates. Taeniasis is the disease determined by the presence of adult tapeworms in the small intestine of humans. When the worm is growing, in the first months after infestation, it can cause digestive and appetite disorders. But when the worm has matured, it is often well tolerated and shows no symptoms.
Contaminated by imported fish
The investigation conducted by the CHU believes that sushi, maki and other sashimi are responsible for the epidemic. “We realized that all the patients were customers of Japanese restaurants or regular consumers of sushi, says Florence Robert-Gangneux. And since none of them had recently traveled to Japan or the North Pacific, they had must have been contaminated by imported fish”.
Since these restaurants do not cook the fish, those that do not freeze them do not kill the potential tapeworms that lodge there. To get rid of tapeworms, doctors usually prescribe an antiparasitic drug, such as praziquantel or niclosamide. Once dead, the tapeworm is passed out with the stool through natural means.
Persistent digestive disorders
In the event of persistent digestive disorders, Professor Robert-Gangneux therefore advises to “consult and carry out a stool parasitology examination”. This is important, because “over the long term, anemia can develop”. Complications, which are very rare, can also occur, such as appendicitis or intestinal obstruction. The tapeworm can also trigger human cysticercosis, which can seriously damage various organs such as the eye, heart, spinal cord and brain.
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