Helminths

Helminths are parasitic worms — flukes, tapeworms and nematodes — particularly those living in the intestines of vertebrates, including humans and food animals. Foodborne helminth infections follow eating raw or undercooked meat, fish or produce that carries infective stages: Trichinella in pork and game, Anisakis in raw fish, tapeworms in beef and pork, and liver flukes in watercress. Prevention depends on thorough cooking, freezing regimes that kill fish larvae, meat inspection, and hygienic produce handling with safe irrigation water. Though less visible than bacterial hazards, helminths stay significant where raw dishes are traditional.