Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAnisakiasisVibrioListeriosisSalmonellaBacillus CereusSafety Tips
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Anisakiasis
Vibrio
Listeriosis
Salmonella
Bacillus Cereus
Safety Tips
Nattapol Poonpiriya/EyeEm/Getty Images
This article discusses the types of infectious diseases that could occur from eating raw fish in sashimi or sushi. It also covers symptoms to watch for and who is most at risk.
Sashimi is thinly sliced raw fish often served with sauces (like wasabi or soy sauce). Unlike sashimi, sushi does not necessarily involve raw fish. In fact, sushi simply refers to the small balls or rolls of vinegar-flavored cooked rice. These rice rolls are then wrapped in seaweed and garnished with vegetables, egg, raw fish, cooked fish, or other foods.
Ingestion of this tiny worm can result in severe abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting within hours of eating. Even more, if the worms don’t get coughed up or vomited out, they can burrow into the walls of your intestines. This can cause a localized immune response, or inflammation, in the intestine.
Anisakis Raw Fish Parasite
The bacterial speciesVibrio parahaemolyticusis associated with eating raw or undercooked fish and shellfish, particularly oysters.
Infection can cause symptoms likediarrhea(including bloody diarrhea), abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, and chills. It can become severe in people with weakened immune systems.
Another Vibrio species,Vibrio vulnificus, has been found in oysters, clams, and crab. In healthy people, ingestion of this microbe may cause nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever.
In people with liver disease or weakened immune systems, the microbe can enter the bloodstream, causing a life-threatening whole-body infection.
In addition,theVibriospecies can causewound infectionsthrough open sores exposed to water harboring the bacteria. Examples include scrapes when opening oysters or working on boats. Like the gastrointestinal illness, these types of wound infections are most severe in people with impaired immune systems.
Imitation Crab Made From Surimi: What to Know
The biggest risk for listeriosis is in people who are:
If you’re not pregnant, listeriosis may cause mild symptoms like upset stomach and diarrhea. It may also cause flu-like symptoms such as:
If the infection spreads to the nervous system, it can lead tomeningitis, which is inflammation of the membranes and fluid around the brain and spinal cord. People with meningitis experience serious symptoms like stiff neck and confusion.
Listeria can also causemeningoencephalitis—inflammation of both the brain tissue and the membranes around the brain. Nervous system infection is most common in the immunocompromised and the elderly.
If you are pregnant, listeriosis may lead to a miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, or a serious infection in the newborn.
An Overview of Listeria
Some people may also experience nausea, vomiting, and/or headache, Symptoms often begin within one to three days of eating the contaminated food and can last up to seven days.
Salmonella infection can become serious, especially in infants, people over 65, or people with weakened immune systems. See a healthcare provider right away if you have salmonella symptoms along with a fever higher than 102 degrees, blood in your stool, or symptoms of dehydration.
Bacillus cereusis another foodborne illness associated with eating sushi. It’s linked to eating contaminated rice along with other foods like fish, vegetables, meats, and milk.
There are two types ofBacillus cereusinfections: a diarrheal type and a vomiting type.The diarrheal type develops quickly (within six to 15 hours) and causes the following symptoms:
Most people with this type do not vomit or develop a fever. Symptoms usually resolve in 24 hours.
The vomiting type is associated with contaminated rice products. One example might be fried rice that has been sitting at room temperature for a long period. This type tends to come on faster, within about one to five hours. It can cause:
Serious complications including meningitis can also occur.
Which Type of Food Poisoning Do I Have?It can be difficult to tell which bacteria is making you sick. Your healthcare provider may be able to narrow down the cause based on your symptoms, but the only way to know for sure is to do tests such as a stool sample test or blood test.
Which Type of Food Poisoning Do I Have?
It can be difficult to tell which bacteria is making you sick. Your healthcare provider may be able to narrow down the cause based on your symptoms, but the only way to know for sure is to do tests such as a stool sample test or blood test.
Tips for Eating Sushi Safely
If food handlers do not use good hand hygiene, other infections (likenorovirus, hepatitis A, andStaphylococcus aureus) can spread. Those who handle food should always wash their hands properly and stay home from work if ill.
It is impossible to tell whether or not sushi is contaminated with a disease-causing microbe. Generally speaking, sushi should not smell fishy. A fishy smell can indicate that the fish isn’t fresh. However, microbes can still live in fresh fish and the microbes themselves don’t produce an odor.
If you are healthy, the risk of getting a serious illness from sushi is low. However, you should be aware that eating raw or undercooked fish always carries some risk. People in high-risk groups like infants and small children, pregnant people, older adults, people with liver disorders, and people with weakened immune systems are at much higher risk of serious illness and should avoid eating sushi made with raw or undercooked fish.
If you do get sick, most of these illnesses resolve on their own in a few days. Make sure to stay well-hydrated as you recover, and get plenty of rest. See a healthcare provider if you experience severe symptoms after eating sushi, such as vomiting that persists for longer than a few days, symptoms of dehydration, or blood in your stool.
Can Pregnant People Eat Sushi?Pregnant people may not wish toeat sushidue to high mercury levels and harmful bacteria found in raw fish. However, sushi can still be enjoyed as long as the fish is cooked and does not containhigh amounts of mercury. For instance, pregnant people may wish to avoid eating swordfish, mackerel, or seabass. Vegetarian sushi options are often also available.
Can Pregnant People Eat Sushi?
Pregnant people may not wish toeat sushidue to high mercury levels and harmful bacteria found in raw fish. However, sushi can still be enjoyed as long as the fish is cooked and does not containhigh amounts of mercury. For instance, pregnant people may wish to avoid eating swordfish, mackerel, or seabass. Vegetarian sushi options are often also available.
Summary
Many of these infections can cause digestive symptoms, including diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. In some cases, they can lead to more serious conditions that require hospitalization.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Anisakiasis.European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).Anisakis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.AboutVibrioInfection.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeria (Listeriosis):People at Risk.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.BAM Chapter 14: Bacillus Cereus.Tajkarimi M.Bacillus cereus.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Key Facts About Food Poisoning.American Pregnancy Association.Is Sushi Safe for Pregnant Women?Additional ReadingCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeria(Listeriosis) Questions and Answers.Food and Drug Administration.Bad Bug Book, Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins. Second Edition. [Vibrioparahaemolyticus, pp. 26,Bacillus cereusand otherBacillusspecies. pp. 92 ].Muscolino D, Giarratana F, Beninati C, Tornambene A, Panebianco A, Ziino G.Hygienic-sanitary evaluation of sushi and sashimi sold in Messina and Catania, Italy.Ital J Food Saf. 2014;3(2):1701.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Anisakiasis.European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).Anisakis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.AboutVibrioInfection.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeria (Listeriosis):People at Risk.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.BAM Chapter 14: Bacillus Cereus.Tajkarimi M.Bacillus cereus.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Key Facts About Food Poisoning.American Pregnancy Association.Is Sushi Safe for Pregnant Women?Additional ReadingCenters for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeria(Listeriosis) Questions and Answers.Food and Drug Administration.Bad Bug Book, Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins. Second Edition. [Vibrioparahaemolyticus, pp. 26,Bacillus cereusand otherBacillusspecies. pp. 92 ].Muscolino D, Giarratana F, Beninati C, Tornambene A, Panebianco A, Ziino G.Hygienic-sanitary evaluation of sushi and sashimi sold in Messina and Catania, Italy.Ital J Food Saf. 2014;3(2):1701.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Anisakiasis.European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).Anisakis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.AboutVibrioInfection.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeria (Listeriosis):People at Risk.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.U.S. Food & Drug Administration.BAM Chapter 14: Bacillus Cereus.Tajkarimi M.Bacillus cereus.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Key Facts About Food Poisoning.American Pregnancy Association.Is Sushi Safe for Pregnant Women?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Anisakiasis.
European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).Anisakis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.AboutVibrioInfection.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeria (Listeriosis):People at Risk.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration.BAM Chapter 14: Bacillus Cereus.
Tajkarimi M.Bacillus cereus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Key Facts About Food Poisoning.
American Pregnancy Association.Is Sushi Safe for Pregnant Women?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeria(Listeriosis) Questions and Answers.Food and Drug Administration.Bad Bug Book, Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins. Second Edition. [Vibrioparahaemolyticus, pp. 26,Bacillus cereusand otherBacillusspecies. pp. 92 ].Muscolino D, Giarratana F, Beninati C, Tornambene A, Panebianco A, Ziino G.Hygienic-sanitary evaluation of sushi and sashimi sold in Messina and Catania, Italy.Ital J Food Saf. 2014;3(2):1701.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Listeria(Listeriosis) Questions and Answers.
Food and Drug Administration.Bad Bug Book, Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins. Second Edition. [Vibrioparahaemolyticus, pp. 26,Bacillus cereusand otherBacillusspecies. pp. 92 ].
Muscolino D, Giarratana F, Beninati C, Tornambene A, Panebianco A, Ziino G.Hygienic-sanitary evaluation of sushi and sashimi sold in Messina and Catania, Italy.Ital J Food Saf. 2014;3(2):1701.
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