Professor Shokoofeh Shamsi a Parasitologist at Charles Sturt University who has conducted some great research, with the help of NSW DPI Fisheries, to highlight the risks of parasites in our freshwater fish, “Detection of zoonotic nematodes in brown trout, Salmo trutta, an introduced popular edible freshwater fish in Australia.” It’s the first article featured in Parasitology Research’s new Special Collection on *"Parasites of Fish and Other Aquatic Organisms in the Anthropocene." 

Prof. Shamsi writes, this study focuses on, "the blind spots in food safety, especially in species that have been swimming under the radar for decades." 

"We found multiple zoonotic nematodes, including the infamous red worms, Eustrongylides excisus in muscle tissue (a direct food risk), and several Contracaecum species in the gut (including one never before reported in Australian freshwater). 

Prof. Shamsi said, "It’s also a timely reminder to be mindful when offering raw fish to pets, that some parasites don’t discriminate between species."

The message is simple, cook those Trout and other fish you catch to over 65 degrees celcius and you will have no problems.

That is our first cast this morning, a very important one, for human health and safety, even though the risk is small.