title: Fishing area and fish size as risk factors of Anisakis infection in sardines (Sardina pilchardus) from Iberian waters, southwestern Europe.
abstract: The sardine (Sardina pilchardus) is a fish commonly consumed and appreciated in many countries, although they are more likely to be eaten fresh in western Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Portugal, France or Italy. A molecular epidemiological survey of sardines from 5 fishing areas of the Spanish Mediterranean (Málaga, southern Spain) and Atlantic coasts (southern: Cádiz and Isla Cristina; northern: A Coruña and Ondarroa) was carried out to determine the presence of Anisakis spp. larvae. The highest prevalence of these larvae was observed in fish from A Coruña (28.3%), followed by Ondarroa (5%) and Cádiz (2.5%). No Anisakis larvae were found in fish from Málaga and Isla Cristina. Three Anisakis genotypes were identified: Anisakis simplex sensu stricto, Anisakis pegreffii and a hybrid genotype between these two species. A. pegreffii was the most prevalent species in A Coruña (71% of larvae). Only three Anisakis larvae (9% collected larvae) were located in the musculature of sardines: two were identified as A. pegreffii while the other was a hybrid genotype. Sardine infection was associated with fishing area and fish length/weight (length and weight were strongly correlated; Pearson's correlation 0.82; p<0.001). Risk factor multivariate analysis showed that the risk of infection increases 1.6 times for every additional cm in the length of the sardines from the same fishing area. Comparison of fish of equal length showed that in sardines from A Coruña the risk of parasitization is 11.5 times higher than in those from other fishing areas. Although the risk of infection by Anisakis through consumption of sardines is generally low due to the low epidemiological parameter values (prevalence 10%, mean intensity 1.7 (range 1-5) and mean abundance 0.17), as larger fish are more heavily parasitized, there is an increased risk of infection by Anisakis through consumption of large sardines which are raw or have undergone insufficient treatment (undercooked, smoked, marinated, salted, pickled, freezing,…).
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Molina-Fernández
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malagón
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gómez-Mateos
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Benítez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Joaquina
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martín-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain. Electronic address: fadroher@ugr.es.
authors.forename: Francisco Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Adroher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017129:Anisakiasis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D017163:Anisakis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D001267:Atlantic Ocean; D049628:Body Size / Q000502:physiology*; D005060:Europe; D005399:Fishes / Q000469:parasitology*; D005838:Genotype; D007814:Larva; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D017747:Seafood / Q000469:parasitology
keywords: Anisakiasis; Anisakis simplex s.l.; Epidemiology; Hybrids; Infection risk factors