Anisakis Worms That Adulterate Sushi Are Not Elementary's Lesser Evils

Summary: Anisakis worms and an angel of death are respectively adversarial to sushi appreciation and patient ailments on Elementary's Lesser Evils Nov. 1, 2012.

Anisakiasis, also known as herring worm disease, is caused by infective Anisakis larvae; Anisakid larvae display characteristic watch-spring coil shape in the body cavity of a herring (Clupea harengus): Anilocra, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Anisakis worms are appalling to one consulting detective who accordingly anticipates their adulterating raw fish sushi and appealing to another on Elementary procedural drama television series episode Lesser Evils Nov. 1, 2012.

Director Colin Bucksey and writer Liz Friedman bemoan raw fish sushi banes of Anisakis simplex, mercury poisoning, salmonella and Vibrio parahaemolyticus on Season One's fifth episode. Consulting detective Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) considers seafood sushi a celebratory choice for consulting detective Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and her concluding assisted death cases. Sherlock describes the dreadful, even deathly, damage done by devouring raw fish sushi even though the latter does not necessarily deliver the former among its ingredients.

The Japanese words sashimi (刺身), sushi (寿司) and wasabi (山葵) respectively equate to raw fish; rice with eggs, seafood or vegetables; and the two's horseradish-like paste.

Sushi, as a cultural appropriation by the seventh-century Japanese from Chinese food traditions since the first century, sometimes fosters false food associations and unfavorable food experiences.

Traditional Chinese food processors got raw seafood from fish fermented and preserved in rice and salt that subsequent Japanese processors grouped into edible fish and rice. Seventeenth-century Japanese hastened fermentation and preservation times for edible raw fish with rice, salt and vinegar and heralded twenty-first-century vinegared rice with or without raw seafood. Anisakis worms, bacteria and toxins in raw fish impair soy and wasabi sashimi and, as vinegared rice with raw seafood instead of eggs or vegetables, sushi.

Anisakis worms journey from raw fish and squid through digestive systems and, for temporary hosts, out excrementary systems or, for permanent hosts, into digestive system walls.

Anisakidae (from Greek άνισος, "unequal"; ἀκίς, "needle"; and -ειδής, "-like") family members, known scientifically since Félix Dujardin (April 5, 1801-April 8, 1860), know parasitic life cycles.

Sherlock lists Anisakis simplex (from Latin simplex, "simple"), labeled by Karl Rudolphi (July 14, 1771-Nov. 29, 1832), one of six Anisakis worms that raw seafood lodges. Anisakis simplex matures into adult anisakis only inside dolphin, sea lion, seabird, seal, shark and whale definitive hosts, whose excrementary releases move Anisakis simplex eggs out. Unembryonated 0.00161- to 0.00169- by 0.00154- to 0.00165-inch (41- to 43- by 39- to 42-micrometer) eggs nestle into polar and temperate waters as embryonated, hatched eggs.

Respectively 0.59- to 0.98-inch- (15- to 25-millimeter-) and 1.18- to 1.97-inch- (30- to 50-millimeter-) long second- and third-stage larvae occur in water and in intermittent hosts.

Anisakis simplex L2 and L3 (second- and third-stage larvae) pass through, or perish inside, intermittent hosts and raw seafood-eating human hosts within 14 to 21 days.

First- through fifth-stage larval and mature Anisakis worms respectively queue up coiled, pink-tinged transparent bodies with visible white stomachs and cylindrical white-yellow bodies with oval stomachs. Mature 1.34- to 2.76-inch- (34- to 70-millimeter-) long female and 1.77- to 5.51-inch- (45- to 140-millimeter-) long male Anisakis worms reveal muscular throats and straight intestines. Anisakis worms never survive 15 hours at minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 35 degrees Celsius) or 168 at minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 20 degrees Celsius).

Nausea, stomachaches and vomiting from raw seafood tell angel of death Danilo Gura (David Costabile), Joan and malpractitioner Mason Baldwin (David Harbour) to treat anisakis worms.

Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) considers hospital fatalities in CBS Elementary's Lesser Evils (season 1 episode 5): Elementary @CBSElementary, via Facebook Oct. 31, 2012

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Anisakiasis, also known as herring worm disease, is caused by infective Anisakis larvae; Anisakid larvae display characteristic watch-spring coil shape in the body cavity of a herring (Clupea harengus): Anilocra, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons @ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anisakids.jpg

Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) considers hospital fatalities in CBS Elementary's Lesser Evils (season 1 episode 5): Elementary @CBSElementary, via Facebook Oct. 31, 2012, @ https://www.facebook.com/ElementaryCBS/posts/431720996891580

For further information:

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. 1892. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. London, England: George Newnes Ltd.

Dujardin, Félix. 1845. "77. Ascaride des Dauphins. Ascaris Simplex. -- Rudolphi, Entoz. 11, 1., p. 170, et Synops., p. 60 no 53." Histoire naturelle des helminthes ou vers intestinaux: 220-221. Paris, France: Librairie Encyclopédique de Roret.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/histoirenaturell1845duja/page/220

Elementary @CBSElementary. 31 October 2012. “Nine victims, 23 suspects--for Sherlock Holmes, the devil is in the details. Watch this sneak peek of tomorrow's all new episode.” Facebook.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/ElementaryCBS/posts/431720996891580

"Lesser Evils." Elementary: The First Season. Los Angeles CA: Paramount Pictures Corporation, Nov. 1, 2012.

Marriner, Derdriu. 27 October 2012. "Elementary's The Rat Race Accesses Vanilla Latte from Vanilla Orchids." Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/10/elementarys-rat-race-accesses-vanilla.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 20 October 2012. "Why Are Lemon Presses for Lemons on Elementary's Child Predator?" Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-are-lemon-presses-for-lemons-on.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 8 October 2012. "Bach Chaconne Absorbs Anguish on Elementary's While You Were Sleeping." Earth and Space News. Monday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/10/bach-chaconne-absorbs-anguish-on.html

Marriner, Derdriu. 29 September 2012. "Are Lesser Clovers Sherlock's Lucky Shamrocks on Elementary's Pilot?" Earth and Space News. Saturday.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2012/09/are-lesser-clovers-sherlocks-lucky.html

Rudolphi, Carolo Asmundo. 1809. "35. Ascaris simplex R." Entozoorum, Sive Vermium Intestinalium Historia Naturalis, volum. II, P. I: 170. Amstelaedami: Sumtibus Tabernae Librariae et Artium.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14390848
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/entozoorumsivev01rudogoog/page/n180

Rudolphi, Carolo Asmund. 1819. "53. Ascaris simplex R." Entozoorum Synopsis Cui Accedunt Mantissa Duplex et Indices Locupletissimi: 49. Berolini: Sumtibus Augusti Rücker.
Available via Biodiversity Heritage Library @ https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/9698028
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/entozoorumsynops00rudo/page/48