Doctors Warn Against Sushi After Finding Live Worms In Patient's Gut

Doctors have warned of the consumption of raw or undercooked fish leading to a condition called anisakiasis, in which a worm attaches to the esophagus, stomach, or intestine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One of the latest incidents involves a 32-year-old man from Portugal who experienced vomiting, stomach pain, and a fever for a week after eating raw fish from a Japanese restaurant, The Telegraph reported.

The doctors performed an endoscopy and found a writhing worm burrowed into the man's gut lining. After removing the larva with a Roth net, the patient's symptoms improved.

In a case report, Dr. Joana Carmo, a gastroenterologist at the Hospital of Egas Moniz in Lisbon, warns that the condition could mimic "acute surgical abdomen," or sudden severe abdominal pain. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, digestive bleeding, bowel obstruction, and perforation and peritonitis of the gastrointestinal tract.

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