Abstract
Nematode parasites of the family Anisakidae can cause human disease when ingested, at the third larval stage (L3), through infected fish or fish products. While human infection is often asymptomatic, in some cases it may present with symptoms ranging from mild to severe gastrointestinal disorders, skin rash, itching, or even anaphylaxis. Ingestion of destroyed L3 (e.g., following processing, sanitisation, or cooking) may still trigger allergic reactions. In the present study, the occurrence of Anisakidae L3 in ready-to-eat (RTE) fish products was investigated. A total of 108 RTE fish products, representing eight species and five processing methods, were examined using (a) macroscopic inspection, (b) artificial digestion (AD), and (c) molecular analysis of both the AD material (to detect non-visible parasite fragments) and the larvae collected by the first two methods. Nematodes morphologically identified as Anisakidae L3 were detected in 32 of the 108 samples (29.62%). Molecular analysis of the AD product did not reveal additional positive samples and confirmed the identification of the isolated larvae as Anisakis simplex sensu stricto and Anisakis pegreffii. Given the public health importance of anisakidosis, the findings of this study provide valuable insight into the prevalence of contamination in RTE fish products currently available on the Greek market.