ABSTRACT
Many parasites are acquired by humans from the ingestion of fish, mollusks, and arthropods; and the parasites’ endemnicity commonly is associated with cultural and eating habits that have been in practice in populations for generations. In most cases, infections are acquired by eating intermediate hosts that are raw or incompletely cooked, partially pickled or smoked, or poorly preserved. The infections are preventable if the food is prepared sufficiently to destroy the infective stages of the parasite carried by the intermediate 250or paratenic hosts. It is extremely difficult, however, to change cultural and eating habits; therefore, these parasitoses will continue to prevail. There are a large number of foodborne parasitoses, but this chapter deals with a few selected nematodiases, cestodiases, and trematodiases.
