--- description: A Japanese tapeworm may be contaminating raw salmon in the U.S., a new study has found. title: Salmon in U.S. May Be Infected With Japanese Tapeworm, Study Says image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Public Health](/tag/public-health/) ## Public Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Salmon in U.S. May Be Infected With Japanese Tapeworm, Study Says  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 12, 2017 10:54 PM CUT  by [Melissa Chan](/author/melissa-chan/)  ## Melissa Chan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jan 12, 2017 10:54 PM CUT 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 "undefined"). The broad tapeworm, [Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense](http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/11/health/salmon-tapeworm-food-study/index.html "undefined"), 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/ "undefined"). 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. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4633801/salmon-tapeworm-raw-sushi/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4633801/salmon-tapeworm-raw-sushi/"},"headline":"Salmon in U.S. May Be Infected With Japanese Tapeworm, Study Says","datePublished":"2017-01-12T22:54:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-31T10:36:43.733Z","description":"Beware if you eat raw salmon","url":"https://time.com/4633801/salmon-tapeworm-raw-sushi/","keywords":["Public Health","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Chan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-chan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/public-health/","name":"Public Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4633801/salmon-tapeworm-raw-sushi/","name":"Salmon in U.S. May Be Infected With Japanese Tapeworm, Study Says"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Should I Eat Sushi?","description":"You now have the blessing of five health experts to eat sushi, but know this before ordering.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/cmhCuNmR/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-06-25T14:38:40.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/cmhCuNmR.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4633801/salmon-tapeworm-raw-sushi/","duration":"PT1M38S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4633801/salmon-tapeworm-raw-sushi/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```