Seabream Shipment with Parasitic Infestation of Tongue-Eating Lice Denied Port Entry

Some of the fish in a seabream shipment that arrived at a port in the United Kingdom have a parasitic infestation commonly known as tongue-eating lice in their mouths.

When the Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority (SCPHA) inspected the seabream shipment after the importer failed to complete the required paperwork, they discovered the tongue-eating lice, Cymothoa exigua, in the packaging of the imported fish.

Cymothoa Exigua

Further research revealed that the parasites were living in the fish's mouths instead of having tongues. The SCPHA did not identify the nation of origin of the shipment, which had arrived at the Port of Felixstowe, in its statement.

Cymothoa exigua, a parasitic infestation, infects a wide variety of fish species worldwide, including both species that are fished for commercial purposes and species with no economic or commercial value.

They attach to the tongue of the host fish after entering through the gills, and the male attaches to the gill arches below and behind the female. The fish's tongue eventually falls off after the female cuts the blood vessels in it and consumes the fish's blood supply. She then parasitizes the fish by sitting where the tongue once was.

Robert Poulin, a parasite ecologist and expert in the field, explained that, typically, only a small portion of the fish population is infected. The parasitic infestestation starts when female parasites release their spawn into the water. The majority of these juveniles will perish before they can attach to a fish host, but a small percentage will make contact with a fish and settle in its mouth or gill cavity, where they will live out their entire lives.

Surprisingly, there is little evidence that the infected hosts' ability to feed or breathe normally has been compromised. The parasite seems to be used mechanically by the fish in place of its tongue.

UK Standards

Danut Cazacu, a veterinary surgeon with the SCPHA, mentioned in the statement that instances like these serve as a stark reminder of the need for our intensive import investigation and human consumption safety assurance efforts.

According to Cazacu, the SCPHA rejected the shipment's entry into the UK after inspecting additional cartons and finding that the majority of the seabream fish was infested. The importer then has the option of having it destroyed or returned to them; in this case, they opted for the latter.

The SCPHA's assertions regarding the batch of infected seabream's safety were rejected by Poulin, Newsweek reports.

He emphasized that most consumers would not buy and eat the fish because of the parasite's presence, which undoubtedly makes the fish unappealing. According to Poulin, the comment in the article that the fish must be safe for human consumption is very misleading because the parasite cannot be transmitted to people, and eating the fish would not be any more harmful than eating a crab or lobster. Despite being abhorrent, they pose no threat to human health.

Brenda McRory, the technical leader of the SCPHA, said that The import did not meet the standards we would expect in the UK, despite the fact that the parasites are not harmful to human health.