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Estimation of the number of Anisakis larvae in commercial fish using a descriptive model based on real‐time PCR
Author(s) -
GodínezGonzález Carla,
RocaGeronès Xavier,
Montoliu Isabel,
Fisa Roser
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.10718
Subject(s) - anisakis , anisakidae , anisakis simplex , biology , larva , fishery , food science , fish <actinopterygii> , veterinary medicine , ecology , medicine
BACKGROUND Seafood parasitation by Anisakis (Anisakidae) larvae has been reported in most of the oceans and seas worldwide. The presence of these nematodes in commonly consumed fish represents a potential hazard for consumers as they can provoke gastrointestinal symptoms and allergic reactions. In the present work, the capacity of a SYBR Green qPCR protocol to quantify Anisakis larvae in commercial fish was evaluated using experimentally spiked samples with different numbers (0–50) of A. simplex third‐stage larvae (L3). To verify the agreement of the obtained results, 25 naturally infected fish specimens of Atlantic blue whiting underwent a parallel visual inspection. RESULTS The logarithmic behavior of the Cq data obtained from the experimentally spiked samples allowed the development of a descriptive mathematical model that correlates the Cq value with the number of Anisakis larvae ( R 2 = 0.9908, CV = 2.37%). In the commercial blue whiting specimens there was a high correlation between the results of the molecular technique and the visual inspection ( R 2 = 0.9912); the Bland–Altman analysis showed that 94% of the differences were within the limits of agreement (−4.98 and 6.68), indicating the reliability of the descriptive mathematical model based on the SYBR Green qPCR technique. CONCLUSION The descriptive function presented based on the SYBR Green qPCR assay is promising as a sensitive and accurate tool for measuring the Anisakis larval load in commercial fish, with a potential application not only in the food industry but also in prevention programs for public health. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry