--- title: Salmon in U.S. May Be Infected With Japanese Tapeworm: Study description: A Japanese tapeworm may be contaminating raw salmon in the U.S., a new study has found. canonical: https://time.com/4633801/salmon-tapeworm-raw-sushi/ author: Melissa Chan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-01-12T22:54:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:14.101Z article:section: Health og:title: Salmon in U.S. May Be Infected With Japanese Tapeworm, Study Says og:description: Beware if you eat raw salmon og:url: https://time.com/4633801/salmon-tapeworm-raw-sushi/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Salmon in U.S. May Be Infected With Japanese Tapeworm, Study Says twitter:description: Beware if you eat raw salmon twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Salmon in U.S. May Be Infected With Japanese Tapeworm, Study Says > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=f2c00e4c-5e9b-4156-8cc6-7211b4e5a8f6&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Should I Eat Sushi? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Eat Sushi?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cmhCuNmR.m3u8) (1:38)  _Published 2015-06-25. You now have the blessing of five health experts to eat sushi, but know this before ordering._  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 12, 2017 10:54 PM UTC  by [Melissa Chan](https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Jan 12, 2017 10:54 PM UTC A Japanese tapeworm may be contaminating raw salmon in the U.S., [a new study has found](https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/2/16-1026%5Farticle). The broad tapeworm, [Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/11/health/salmon-tapeworm-food-study/index.html), has been detected in wild pink salmon from Alaska, leading researchers to believe that salmon from at least American and Asian Pacific coasts can be potentially dangerous to humans who eat the fish raw. The new findings appear in the February issue of the journal _Emerging Infectious Diseases,_ published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists say the tapeworm was first recognized as a human parasite in 1986\. Initially believed to only infect fish in Asia, the tapeworm can affect humans who eat infected raw chum, masu, pink and sockeye salmon from Japan and eastern Russia, according to the [Alaska _Dispatch News_](https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/science/2017/01/12/tapeworm-from-asian-waters-found-in-southcentral-alaska-salmon/). The parasite has been reemerging because of “global importation and increased popularity of eating raw fish,” the study says. About 2,000 cases have been reported, mostly from northeastern Asia. ## Transcript You now have the blessing of five health experts to keep eating sushi, but know this before ordering. Sushi is a nice and healthy meal if you make the right choices, says Sunniva Hoel. Fish come with a lot of health benefits, but it's the rice that's the problem. Eating sashimi Slices of raw fish is the best way to order she says . >> The raw fish can transmit infectious diseases . >> Points out David Katz. So make sure to choose a well run establishment. You should be even more careful with store bought sushi. It has a longer shelf life, which gives bacteria more of an opportunity to grow. A study by Hollin colleagues revealed that almost half of the supermarket sushi they sampled had unsatisfactory levels of bacteria. Stay away from rolls that are deep fried and smothered with mayo suggests Kristin Kirkpatrick. Instead, focus on lean sources of fresh fatty fish. Get plenty of sea vegetables and wrap it in brown rice. Or no rice at all. If you do that, then a portion control thumbs up to you, she says. Though mercury is still a concern with sushi, Roxanne Karimi says that small bodied fish lower on the food chain have less of it. Those fish are sometimes the best ones to pick for sustainability, too, says Tim Fitzgerald. Though the most popular items, like tuna, salmon, and shrimp, often aren't farmed sustainably. Scallops, clams, oysters and roe, are solid alternatives. You don't have to give up sushi, Fitzgerald says. It's still good for you. 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