Occurrence of anisakid nematode larvae in chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) caught off Korea

• Chub mackerel around the Korean Peninsula were examined for anisakid nematodes.
• In total, 1628 nematodes were found from 231 of 417 chub mackerel.
• Most of the nematodes (93.6%) were found in the body cavity.
• Most of the nematodes (94.3%) were identified as Anisakis pegreffii by PCR-RFLP.
• Chub mackerel may not greatly contribute to human anisakidosis in Korea.

Chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) is a pelagic fish species widely distributing in the Indo-Pacific and a commercially important fish species in Korea. It is known to harbor anisakid nematodes larvae, and ingesting the raw or undercooked fish can accidentally cause human infection. In this study, we isolated the nematode larvae in 417 chub mackerel caught from 7 sampling locations around the Korean Peninsula in 2011 and 2012, and identified them by PCR-RFLP of the ITS (internal transcribed spacer) of ribosomal DNA and the direct sequencing of the mitochondrial DNA cox2 gene. The prevalence of infection was 55.4% (231/417) and the mean intensity was 7.0 (1628/231). Most of the nematodes (1523/1628; 93.6%) were found in the body cavity, while 5.5% (89/1628) were found in the gastrointestinal tract. Four different species were identified by PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing. Most of the nematodes (1535/1628; 94.3%) were identified as Anisakis pegreffii, and 2.8% (46/1628) were identified as Hysterothylacium sp. A hybrid genotype (Anisakis simplex sensu stricto × A. pegreffii) and A. simplex sensu stricto were 2.5% (41/1628) and 0.4% (6/1628) of the identified nematodes, respectively. The anisakid nematode assemblage of chub mackerel in Korea was similar to that of chub mackerel from the Tsushima Current stock in Japan, in that A. pegreffii was the dominant species. Since most of the anisakid nematodes were found in the body cavity and most of them were identified as A. pegreffii or Hysterothylacium sp. by PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing, chub mackerel may not greatly contribute to human anisakidosis in Korea. Alternately, A. pegreffii may be responsible for human anisakidosis in Korea, in addition to A. simplex sensu stricto. Further studies, such as the molecular diagnosis of human anisakidosis, are necessary for assessing the epidemiological role of chub mackerel in Korea.