Hawaii is experiencing an uptick in rat lungworm disease. Six confirmed cases on Maui and another three confirmed cases on the Big Island were reported over the last three months with no deaths. That’s about as many cases as are ever experienced over the course of a year.
Some cases do get more public attention…
Salmon lovers have a new reason to opt for roasted instead of raw. Scientists have documented that the Japanese broad tapeworm has made its way to the waters of the North Pacific and is thriving among the salmon population there.
Published in the February edition…
This summer’s surge in reports of illnesses due to the parasite Cyclospora in Texas has prompted health officials in the Lone Star State to go looking for a common source. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has received reports of 182 Cyclosporiasis cases from around the state this year. Last year, 200 Cyclospora…
If the world’s food safety scientists act now, they have the opportunity to create a global network of microbial data that will dramatically improve the ability to track and combat disease outbreaks of all sorts, including foodborne illness outbreaks, significantly tackling the spread of disease worldwide. That was the argument put forward at the International…
When it comes to food safety concerns, foodborne parasites might not receive as much attention in the U.S. compared to bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella. Globally, however, foodborne parasites affect the health of millions of people annually, causing debilitating and potentially deadly conditions and sometimes living within humans for years. A new report…
In Southeast Asia, swamp eels are a common source of human gnathostomiasis, a foodborne zoonosis caused by parasitic Gnathostoma larvae. If the infected eels are eaten undercooked or raw, the parasite can cause mild to serious consequences in humans, including blindness, paralysis or even death. So researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey wanted to…
