First Report of Clinostomum complanatum (Trematoda: Digenea) in European Perch (Perca fluviatilis) from an Italian Subalpine Lake: A Risk for Public Health?

Abstract

<i>Clinostomum complanatum</i>, a digenean trematode of the Clinostomidae family, is a fish-borne zoonotic parasite responsible for Halzoun syndrome in humans and is transmitted through the consumption of raw or undercooked freshwater fish. Of the total of 112 specimens of European perch (<i>Perca fluviatilis</i>) sampled from a subalpine lake (Lake Endine) in North Italy in 2019, 21 (18.75%) tested positive for encysted metacercariae in the fillet. This study reports the first isolation of <i>C. complanatum</i> in <i>P. fluviatilis</i> and highlights the possible zoonotic risk for consumers, since <i>P. fluviatilis</i> is a food fish used in the traditional local cuisine.