Assessing allergenic potential, exposure and risk of Anisakis spp.

Parasites in seafood are a recognised food safety concern worldwide. Anisakiasis is a human disease caused by ingestion of larvae of parasitic nematodes of the genus <b><i>Anisakis</i></b> , typically present in raw or undercooked seafood. It is considered a significant emerging foodborne disease and was recently ranked among the top 10 of 24 parasitic foodborne infections in Europe, with a rapidly increasing potential to cause illness. Many clinical cases are often misdiagnosed as other gastrointestinal disorders, leading to misinterpretation of data and likely a substantial underestimation of their true prevalence. The issue is further complicated by a rising number of asymptomatic individuals who develop sensitivity to thermostable <b><i>Anisakis</i></b> antigens. These otherwise healthy individuals often show elevated anti- <b><i>Anisakis</i></b> IgE antibody levels and may have recovered from a mild or undiagnosed gastric anisakiasis without showing allergic symptoms. Because these cases lack obvious clinical signs, this 'silent' form of anisakiasis could affect more than 12% of certain populations and is typically identified only through sero-epidemiological research. Earlier detection approaches, including DNA-based methods such as real-time PCR, demonstrated the potential to identify <i>Anisakis</i> as an allergy-causing agens in marketed seafood. However, these methods had not been validated, and the results, therefore, required cautious interpretation. Here, we present the first validated real-time PCR method designed to improve the detection of <i>Anisakis</i> as an allergy-causing agens and to support more accurate monitoring within the EU seafood market. Additional work to express two known allergic proteins (Ani s 1 and Ani s 7) for immunological testing of hypersensitised patients can open venues for a future complete risk assessment of anisakiasis.