PCR法によるアニサキス亜科幼線虫の同定

抄録

Anisakids are parasitic nematodes infecting fish and mammals. It is well recognized that human infection with this parasite, called anisakiasis, occurs by ingestion of raw or undercooked fish. In Japan, there are estimated to be over 1,000 cases of this infection annually. In 1999, “The Food Sanitation Law Enforcement Regulation” was partly amended, and anisakiasis was newly added to the causative agents of food poisoning. Identification of anisakid larvae has been performed by light microscopy, but it is impossible to accurately identify the worms morphologically when only small portions of the worm are available. In the present study, we showed the usefulness of PCR-based methods for identification of anisakid species using several species of anisakid larvae from Pacific cod. The larvae identified morphologically as Anisakis simplex or Contracaecum osculatum were found also to be positive for PCR amplification with only species-specific primers. In addition, the larvae of Pseudoterranova decipiens, frequently found in anisakiasis in Japan, were positive for amplification with only the P. decipiens-specific primers designed for the study. PCR using species-specific primers is thus concluded to be a useful tool for identification of anisakid larvae when morphological identification is impossible.