Copyright © 2010 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Human anisakiasis is caused by infection with the third-stage larvae of Anisakis sp. or Pseudoterranova decipiens, common nematode parasites of marine mammals. 1 The con-dition occurs after consumption of infected salt-water fish or cephalopod mollusk species, including mackerel, squid, sar-dine, horse mackerel, salmon, and bonito. 2 This serious zoonotic disease, which was first described by Van Thiel and others 3 in 1960, has increased throughout the world in the last few decades. The prevalence of anisakia-sis is clearly related to traditions of consuming raw, lightly cooked, or marinated seafood, such as Japanese sushi and sashimi, Dutch salted or smoked herring, Scandinavian grav-lax, Hawaiian lomi-lomi, and Latin American ceviche. 4 The development of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques with gastroendoscopy coincides with the increase in the num