A case of gastroallergic anisakiasis

Human subjects can be incidentally parasitized by third stage larvae of Anisakis spp. by eating raw or undercooked seafood. Acute gastric anisakiasis is one of the most frequently encountered entities in Korea. Anisakis-related allergic disorder, gastroallergic anisakiasis, has been recently documented. However, it has not been studied in Korea, in spite of the raw fish eating habit. A 33-year-old woman had suffered from stomachache, nausea and vomiting repeatedly after a few hours of eating raw fish. Gastroscopic examination showed normal. Sensitization to Anisakis was demonstrated by skin prick test using crude extracts and excretory-secretory products from the parasites, whereas no sensitization to seafood. Specific IgE in patient's serum and its binding components against Anisakis were detected. We report a case of gastroallergic anisakiasis, diagnosed by repeated typical episode, skin prick test, identification of specific IgE and its binding components in Anisakis.