CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Is there any problem if humans eat parasites in seafood?

For the past two days, someone has been sending me a short video saying that seafood contains a lot of parasites and recommending eating more vegetables and less seafood.

The video, which is less than two minutes long, is indeed quite scary when spoken in a thick rural Mandarin dialect.

So what is the truth? Should we eat less seafood?

Scene 1

How can this be seafood?

It was clearly a leech that had crawled into a freshwater crayfish, and it was a dead crayfish.

It just thinks the ground is too dry, so it's looking for a shady place to hide.

Besides, leeches are not parasites, and it is impossible for such large leeches to appear on living crayfish.

What, you look down on leeches? They are Chinese medicinal herbs after all.

Act II

This is obviously a freshwater fish, possibly a hybrid of a crucian carp.

This worm is nothing special, commonly known as red nematode, scientific name "uterine nematode", commonly found under fish scales or in fish tails.

It is a bug that specifically attacks fish and is harmless to humans. However, the presence of this bug indicates that the environment in which it grows is relatively dirty and poor.

In fact, the parasites of freshwater fish are mainly in the internal organs, especially the intestines, and then under the scales.

Farmed fish have relatively fewer parasites, while wild fish have more.

Act III

Judging from the size and color, this could be a snake?

Snakes, frogs, bullfrogs and other amphibians and reptiles also have relatively more parasites, especially those that are empty and wild.

It is hard to tell what kind of insect it is. (Whether it can be eaten or not will be discussed in the following analysis)

Act IV

This is a shell. Usually shellfish are the intermediate hosts of parasites and carry relatively few adult worms.

The translucent "worms" picked out in the video are the digestive organs of shellfish. Their scientific name is "crystalline style". They are found in many shellfish, such as scallops, mussels, oysters, etc.

This thing sometimes disappears on its own, so not all shells can be found.

Similar things may also appear in shrimp heads, but the contents of the shrimp heads are reproductive glands.

Act V

These two are probably crabs, which often carry some symbiotic organisms in their bodies, and occasionally parasites.

It's not clear from the video what it is, but if there are a lot of parasites, it can only mean that the growth environment is very poor. (Whether it can be eaten or not, see the analysis below)

Here comes the point: Can these things be eaten? What should we pay attention to?

If you master these knowledge points, you won’t panic.

1. The threat posed by marine parasites is far less than that posed by freshwater parasites, the most common of which is Anisakis.

2. Eating freshwater fish or half-cooked fish is very risky. Common nematodes include liver fluke, Paragonimus, Sparganum mansoni, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Gnathostomatida, etc. Don't pursue a tender taste.

3. No matter what kind of parasite it is, it is afraid of heat. If it is cooked thoroughly, it will become protein.

4. Freezing can kill parasites, at -20 degrees for at least 24 hours.

5. Nothing you dip in can kill parasites, including wine, vinegar, mustard, chili oil, garlic juice, etc.

6. Wild animals are more likely to carry parasites than domestic ones. Some species are 100% parasitic. Don't be superstitious about pure natural products.

7. A considerable number of parasites on aquatic products do not harm humans, but they affect the output and quality of aquatic products. Therefore, many aquacultures need to use some drugs to control parasites, such as salmon lice.

8. Whether at home or in a restaurant, when handling seafood, it is special attention to separate raw and cooked seafood to avoid cross contamination.

Finally, I would like to emphasize again that you should not eat too much seafood.

Because I'd be jealous!

It’s better if you all stop eating and let me do it!

If you still have questions, you can check out the link at the end of the article.

Seafood that is not cooked thoroughly contains a large number of bacteria, mainly Vibrio parahaemolyticus, etc. It is heat-resistant and contains a large number of parasite eggs, which generally need to be boiled for 4-5 minutes to kill. Fresh shrimps in the sea carry a lot of low-temperature-resistant bacteria and eggs, and shellfish themselves carry a higher amount of bacteria. As long as they die, they will produce various toxins. In addition, there is a larva called angiostrongylus parasitizing in the shells of snails and shellfish. As long as it is not thoroughly boiled at high temperature, it will be stored in the human body. Once infected with angiostrongylus, people will experience headaches, nausea, vomiting, and in severe cases, shock, mania, and even death.

A small amount doesn't matter.

Don't overeat.