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Salmon parasite more common in Britain

January 27, 2008

LONDON -- A parasite that can cause a sometimes fatal reaction in humans is becoming more common in wild salmon in British rivers, the Food Standards Agency says.

A parasite that can cause a sometimes fatal reaction in humans is becoming more common in wild salmon in British rivers, the Food Standards Agency says.

In the Itchen River in Hampshire, which runs through Winchester to Southampton Water, 30 percent of the salmon appear to be infected with anisakis simplex or herring worm. The parasite can cause severe anaphylactic shock in some people, The Telegraph reported.

The parasite has been found in salmon in other rivers in England, Wales and Scotland.

The salmon pick up the parasite at sea from feeding on krill. It causes swelling and bleeding of the fish's vents, and experts fear that its spread could cause a collapse of populations in English rivers.

Wild salmon should be refrigerated for at least 24 hours at -20 degrees Celsius or -4 degrees Fahrenheit or cooked for at least two minutes at 70 degrees Celsius or 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Salmon obviously carrying the parasite should not be consumed.


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