Investigation on the risk of of Anisakis infection among high - risk populations along the coastal areas of Jiangsu Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the risk of Anisakis infections among high-risk populations along the coastal areas of Jiangsu Province, so as to develop the strategy for the prevention and control of anisakiasis in the province. Methods Three counties along the coastal areas of Jiangsu Province were selected as the study sites in 2018, including Rudong County in Nantong City, Haizhou District in Lianyungang City and Dongtai City in Yancheng City. The knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of anisakiasis prevention and control, and the prevalence of serum specific IgG antibody against Anisakis were investigated among high-risk populations among these three study sites, including fishermen, fish seller and people who liked eating fresh and live marine fish. Factors affecting the prevalence of the specific IgG antibody against Anisakis were identified using a multiple logistic regression model. In addition, Anisakis larvae infections were detected in fresh and live marine fish samples collected from local markets, and the prevalence and intensity of Anisakis infections were estimated. Results A total of 625 high-risk populations were investigated, including 349 men (55.8%). Only 13.0% of the subjects heard about anisakiasis, and a low awareness rate of anisakiasis prevention and control knowledge was seen among these three types of high-risk populations. There were 21.6% of the subjects eating raw or half-cooked marine fish, 5.8% eating undercooked marine fish, 3.2% presenting vomiting, nausea and diarrhea after eating marine fish, 5.1% developing systemic allergic symptoms, and 65.6% using the same chopping board for raw and cooked food. The sero-prevalence of the anti-Anisakis IgG antibody was 7.0% among the study subjects. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified education level [OR = 0.687, 95% CI (0.478, 0.987)] and development of systemic allergic symptoms [OR = 4.641, 95% CI(1.411, 15.268)]as factors affecting the positive anti-Anisakis IgG antibody among the study subjects. Among 494 fresh and live marine fish detected, the prevalence and intensity of Anisakis larvae infection was 64.0% and 8.1 larvae per fish, with high prevalence seen in Trichiurus haumela and Pneumatophorus japonicas. Conclusions The awareness of anisakiasis prevention and control knowledge is low among the high-risk populations living along the coastal areas of Jiangsu Province, and there are high-risk behaviors, such as eating raw or half-cooked food, using the same chopping board for raw and cooked food. In addition, the prevalence of Anisakis infections is high in the marine fish in these areas. Therefore, the health education and health promotion for anisakiasis prevention and control should be intensified.