Stromnes E ; Andersen K ;

Parasitol Res vol. 84 (4)   pp. 281-5, 1998

Zoological Museum, University of Oslo, Norway.

The frequency distribution of Anisakis simplex L3 larvae between host tissues was investigated in three host species: saithe, cod and redfish. Fish were sampled from Norwegian coastal waters and examined for the presence of A. simplex in muscle and viscera. In all three of the host species, A. simplex larvae were most frequently detected in the viscera; the percentages of total infection for saithe, cod and redfish were 99.6%, 97.8% and 88.0%, respectively. In general, the distribution patterns of A. simplex L3 between muscle and viscera were not significantly affected by host size. The observations that distributions vary between species and are not affected by host size do not support an earlier hypothesis which states that A. simplex L3 distributions are determined by an optimal pre-encapsulation migratory distance within host tissues. In contrast, it is suggested that A. simplex L3 distributions are governed by the conditions encountered within host tissues, and are possibly related to the availability of nutrients.

Animal ;  Anisakiasis: parasitology: veterinary ;  Anisakis: growth & development: isolation & purification ;  Comparative Study ;  Fish Diseases: parasitology ;  Host-Parasite Relations ;  Larva ;  Muscles: parasitology ;  Norway ;  Regression analysis ;  Support,Non-U.S.Gov't ;  Viscera: parasitology ;  5250 ;