DISEASES O F MARINE FISHES
59
1938). Earlier, Russell (1983) reported lesions and emaciation due t o
heavy infestations of the copepod Caligus pageti on grey mullet,
Mugil capito, kept in experimental ponds in Egypt. The parasite had
not been seen previously in wild populations.
I
IX. RELATIONSHIP OF FISH DISEASES TO HUMAN DISEASES
An inescapable aspect of any discussion of fish diseases is their
possible relationship to human disease. Examples from the freshwater environment, such as the tapeworm Diphyllohothrium latum (L.),
the nematode Onathostoma spinigeruwi Owen, atid the trematode
Clonorchis sinensis (Cobbold), clearly demonstrate the role of fish in
transmitting human parasites (Cameron, 1945). Fortunately, few
examples can be found for a similar role for marine fishes. Recent
reports from The Netherlands (van Thiel ef ul., 1960: Kuipers, 1964)
describe severe reactions t o invasion of the wall of the human digestive
tract by larval nematodes of the family Heterocheilidae. ingested alive
with lightly salted herring. The disease, described as eosinophilic
phlegmonous enteritis, is relatively rare, even in a population that
consumes countless numbers of herring. Williams ( 1965) has recently
summarized the available information on " herring worm disease ". His
opinion is that larval nematodes other than Eustonia rotundaturn may
be agents of the disease, and that care must be taken in attempts t o
identify larval nematodes from the human intestine.
Eosinophilia has long been associated with many helminth infestations, and ingestion of raw fish has recently become a suspected route
of transmission in outbreaks of human eosinophilic meningitis in the
Pacific area (Rosen et aZ., 1961, 1962). A possible etiologic agent is the
larva of the nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Chen), which
matures in the lungs of the rat after first invading the brain (Alicata,
1965). Infestation of the mammalian definitive host-normal
or
abnormal-can result from ingestion of a molluscan intermediate host
or a paratenic host harboring third-stage larvae. Cheng and Burton
(1965) have demonstrated that oysters and clams can serve as experimental intermediate hosts and t h a t first-stage larvae concentrated from
the feces of infected rats could survive for 27 hours in salinitiesof 2Oy&
Although some epidemiological assoc4ation of consumption of raw fish
with meningitis outbreaks in areas of the South Pacific has been made,
the role of Angiostrongylus is less clear. as has been pointed out by
Jacobs (1963).
Larval trematodes, Hderophyes heterophyes (Siebold), infective to
man, occur on the integument or in the flesh of mullets, Mugil c~phalus
and Mugil juponicus, found in brackish water (Belding, 1942). It is
59
1938). Earlier, Russell (1983) reported lesions and emaciation due t o
heavy infestations of the copepod Caligus pageti on grey mullet,
Mugil capito, kept in experimental ponds in Egypt. The parasite had
not been seen previously in wild populations.
I
IX. RELATIONSHIP OF FISH DISEASES TO HUMAN DISEASES
An inescapable aspect of any discussion of fish diseases is their
possible relationship to human disease. Examples from the freshwater environment, such as the tapeworm Diphyllohothrium latum (L.),
the nematode Onathostoma spinigeruwi Owen, atid the trematode
Clonorchis sinensis (Cobbold), clearly demonstrate the role of fish in
transmitting human parasites (Cameron, 1945). Fortunately, few
examples can be found for a similar role for marine fishes. Recent
reports from The Netherlands (van Thiel ef ul., 1960: Kuipers, 1964)
describe severe reactions t o invasion of the wall of the human digestive
tract by larval nematodes of the family Heterocheilidae. ingested alive
with lightly salted herring. The disease, described as eosinophilic
phlegmonous enteritis, is relatively rare, even in a population that
consumes countless numbers of herring. Williams ( 1965) has recently
summarized the available information on " herring worm disease ". His
opinion is that larval nematodes other than Eustonia rotundaturn may
be agents of the disease, and that care must be taken in attempts t o
identify larval nematodes from the human intestine.
Eosinophilia has long been associated with many helminth infestations, and ingestion of raw fish has recently become a suspected route
of transmission in outbreaks of human eosinophilic meningitis in the
Pacific area (Rosen et aZ., 1961, 1962). A possible etiologic agent is the
larva of the nematode Angiostrongylus cantonensis (Chen), which
matures in the lungs of the rat after first invading the brain (Alicata,
1965). Infestation of the mammalian definitive host-normal
or
abnormal-can result from ingestion of a molluscan intermediate host
or a paratenic host harboring third-stage larvae. Cheng and Burton
(1965) have demonstrated that oysters and clams can serve as experimental intermediate hosts and t h a t first-stage larvae concentrated from
the feces of infected rats could survive for 27 hours in salinitiesof 2Oy&
Although some epidemiological assoc4ation of consumption of raw fish
with meningitis outbreaks in areas of the South Pacific has been made,
the role of Angiostrongylus is less clear. as has been pointed out by
Jacobs (1963).
Larval trematodes, Hderophyes heterophyes (Siebold), infective to
man, occur on the integument or in the flesh of mullets, Mugil c~phalus
and Mugil juponicus, found in brackish water (Belding, 1942). It is