Food-Borne Parasitic Diseases

Abstract

It is obvious that the general status of parasitic infections in Korea has shown a marked decrease, particularly in soil-transmitted helminthic infections. However, food-borne parasitic infections are still regarded as the major parasitic diseases of medical importance in Korea. Generally, the parasitic infections may occur from the following sources: by contaminated soil, water, vegetable and fruits, and other animals as food containing the parasites at their immature infective stage, in association with a domestic or wild animal harboring the parasite, and an ectoparasite that transmits the parasite by blood sucking. Human food-borne parasitic infections result from the consumption of undercooked or raw fish, shellfish, snails, vertebrates, and water plants as a food. These infections are significantly related to human behavioral patterns based on socioeconomic and cultural conditions and are linked with the biological and physical environments. Most of food-borne parasitic infections are considered as all parasitic zoonoses to man and animals. To understand the current status of food-borne parasitic infections in Korea, the author presents the list of overall food-borne parasitic infections caused by protozoan infection (toxoplasmosis), trematode infections (clonorchiasis, metagonimiasis, and some intestinal trematodiases), nematode infections (anisakiasis and trichinosis), and others with a briefly reviewed.