Anisakidae nematodes collected in 4 species of marine mammals, and 11 species of marine fish, from 2006 to 2009, from Nain, Kangiqsualuujjuaq, Kuujjuaq, Quaqtaq, Kangiqsujuaq, Salluit, Inukjuak, Ivujivik, Puvirnituq, Sanikiluaq, Arviat.

• Main Authors: Andria Jones, University Of Guelph, Antoni Jerzy Rokicki, Gdansk University, Erica Pufall, University Of Guelph, Ole Nielsen, Fisheries, Tanya Brown, University Of Victoria
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Cryospheric Information Network 2016
• Subjects: Anisakidae; Beluga; Distribution; Fishes; Parasites; Seals; Taxonomy; Walrus; International Polar Year-Engaging communities in the monitoring of zoonoses, country food safety and wildlife health; Arctic; Canada; Nain; Kuujjuaq; Salluit; Inukjuak; Sanikiluaq; Kangiqsujuaq; Ivujivik; Puvirnituq; Quaqtaq; Arctic marine mammals; Arviat; Beluga*; Climate change; International Polar Year; inuit; walrus*
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5443/11289; https://www.polardata.ca/pdcsearch/?doi_id=11289

The data set content includes: Sample ID (identification of sample), species, latitude and longitude of communities (in degree, minutes), community, date of collection, age, sex, tissue type (stomach, flesh), stomach weight (g), stomach content, number of nematodes, developmental stage of the parasite and its species*, PCR identification, laboratory test used (digestion, visual identification). : Purpose: Some members of the Anisakidae family of parasites are zoonotic (i.e. can infect both animals and humans), and can be transmitted to humans via the consumption of insufficiently-cooked meat from infected fish. This study was conducted to determine the distribution, prevalence, and species of Anisakidae nematodes in various marine mammals and fish that are eaten as traditional foods in multiple areas of Canada¿s North. A second objective was to determine whether marine mammals are definitive hosts for the parasite (i.e. a host in which the parasite can reproduce sexually), and thus, capable of transmitting the parasite through the marine food web. : Summary: Two species of the Anisakidae family of parasites, Anisakis simplex and Pseudoterranova decipiens, are zoonotic (i.e. can infect both humans and animals), and can be transmitted to humans via insufficiently-cooked meat from infected fish. The life cycle of these parasites can involve the whole marine food web and is dependent on climate change. New species of marine mammals and fish are migrating to the North, and prior to this study, little was known about these parasites in Canada's Arctic. As such, it was important to determine:(a) which species of Anisakidae parasites are present in Canada¿s Arctic marine mammals and fish, and with what prevalence, (b) whether these parasites reproduce in marine mammals of Canada's Arctic, and if so, in which animal species, and what effect the parasites have in marine mammal stomachs, and (c) whether these parasites pose a risk of foodborne disease to the Inuit, among whom the consumption of raw fish is a traditional and common practice. Among others, this dataset includes data on the animal from which the samples arose (species, sex, age, tissues collected), community in which the hunter resides, date of collection, the species and number of Anisakidae parasites present, and the laboratory methods used.