Parasites

Abstract

The consumption of seafood has increased steadily over the last years. The yearly per capita consumption has augmented by 77% (from 9.14 kg in 1961 to 16.1 kg in 2003) [1]. As any other food, fish and shellfish are carriers of a wide range of parasites, but only a few have zoonotic significance. Nevertheless, their incidence on human health should not be neglected. For instance, of the -41 million people infected with foodborne trematodes, it is reckoned that -18 million cases correspond to fish trematodes [2,3].