''Pseudoterranova'' is a genus within the family

Anisakidae The Anisakidae are a family (biology), family of intestinal nematodes (roundworms). The larvae of these worms can cause anisakiasis when ingested by humans, in raw or insufficiently cooked fish. Anisakidae worms can infect many species of fish, ...

of parasitic

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

s with an aquatic life cycle. The lifecycle of ''Pseudoterranova'' spp. involves marine mammals,

pinniped Pinnipeds (pronounced ), commonly known as seals, are a widely range (biology), distributed and diverse clade of carnivorous, fin-footed, semiaquatic, mostly marine mammals. They comprise the extant taxon, extant families Odobenidae (whose onl ...

s (sea lions, seals and walruses), as definitive hosts, planktonic or benthic

crustacean Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...

s as intermediate hosts and fish which act as second intermediate or paratenic hosts. In some regions, the rise in seal numbers has prefaced a significant increase in fish infected with ''P. decipiens'' which is of concern for fish health. Infection with ''Pseudoterranova'' may affect the health and swimming ability of the fish host and is therefore of concern for the survival of wild caught and farmed species. Species belonging to this genus have been demonstrated to cause illness of varying exigency in humans if raw or under cooked infected fish is consumed. Cases of human infection have been reported from consuming partially cooked fish infected with '' Pseudoterranova decipiens'', '' Pseudoterranova cattani'' and '' Pseudoterranova azarasi''. The propensity of ''P. decipiens'' to encyst in the edible portion of fish musculature may make this parasite a considerable threat to human health in undercooked fish.

References

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