Veterinary Parasitology 196 (2013) 547–551 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Veterinary Parasitology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpar Short communication Survey on the presence of Anisakis and Hysterothylacium larvae in fishes and squids caught in Ligurian Sea Laura Serracca a,∗ , Emanuele Cencetti a , Roberta Battistini a , Irene Rossini a , Marino Prearo b , Elena Pavoletti b , Maria Letizia Fioravanti c , Marzia Righetti b , Brizio Di Donfrancesco b , Carlo Ercolini a a Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Sezione La Spezia Laboratorio di Microbiologia Marina, Italy b Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta, Laboratorio di Ittiopatologia, Torino, Italy c Dipartimento Scienze Mediche Veterinarie, Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna, Ozzano Emilia (BO), Italy article info Article history: Received 14 November 2012 Received in revised form 21 February 2013 Accepted 25 February 2013 Keywords: Anisakis pegreffii Hysterothylacium sp. PCR-RFLP Commercial fish Squid Ligurian Sea abstract This study aims to investigate the occurrence of Anisakidae larvae (genera Anisakis and Hys- terothylacium) in fishes and squids used for human nutrition and increase the knowledge of the distribution of Anisakidae larvae in this area of Mediterranean Sea. Distribution and correct identification of Anisakidae larvae in fish species is important for the assessment of their relative epidemiological role; especially when the fishes are of high commercial value and largely used in human nutrition. The study investigated the occurrence of Anisakidae larvae (genera Anisakis and Hysterothylacium) in 195 fishes owing to 22 different species and 60 squids (Illex coindetii) sampled in northern Ligurian Sea. A combination of morpho- logical and PCR-RFLP methods have been used. A total of 177 anisakid larvae were isolated in 42/195 (21.5%) fish of 11 species and only one larva in one squid. These larvae were iden- tified morphologically as belonging to the genera Anisakis (36/177) or Hysterothylacium (142/177). All Anisakis larvae were isolated from Trachurus trachurus and were identified at species level by PCR-RFLP as belonging to Anisakis pegreffii. Hysterothylacium sp. in short, larvae presence occurred in most of examined fish species with a higher density in Mullus barbatus (mean intensity 5.6 larvae) and Serranus scriba (MI 5.3). © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Anisakidosis is an important fish-borne zoonosis caused by larval stages of nematodes of the family Anisakidae, gen- era Anisakis, Pseudoterranova and Contracaeum (Hochberg and Hamer, 2010). Digestive disorders and/or allergies (Valero et al., 2003; Audicana and Kennedy, 2008) in human can occur as a consequence of accidental inges- tion of raw, undercooked or improperly processed fishes and/or cephalopods parasitized by third-stage larvae (L3). As a consequence, scientific attention to the Anisakidae ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 0187 507370; fax: +39 0187 500308. E-mail address: laura.serracca@izsto.it (L. Serracca). nematodes and especially to the two genera certainly zoonotic – Anisakis and Pseudoterranova – continues to remain high due to the large number of marine fish and cephalopod species associated with the transmission of mentioned disease (Mattiucci and Nascetti, 2008; Santana and Cives, 2009) and the wide geographical distribution throughout the year of Anisakidae larvae. Moreover the increasing global demand of seafood, and a growing pref- erence for raw or lightly cooked food in several Western countries can increase the risk of parasite exposure (Broglia and Kapel, 2011). Despite during the last 20 years the knowledge of these parasites was improved, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommends that research in this topic should be continued: the collection of sys- tematic data on the complete life cycle, geographical and 0304-4017/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2013.02.024