Insects loaded with parasites! Why eating insects is bad news in 2022
It seems every day we’re being bombarded with more and more
“thinkpieces” about how we should – and will – be eating lots of insects
in the future, instead of traditional sources of protein – which would
alarm bodybuilding aficionados more than any other group!
Bugs are already making a splash as they have begun to make their way into processed foods, sweets – and chatter of bug-based supplements becoming the future.
In
Canada, for instance, the Canadian government is funding the
construction of the world’s largest cricket farm, for human consumption.
But
the unpleasant truth, beyond the fact that eating insects is hardly
appetizing for most people in the West, is that insects are also loaded
with potentially harmful parasites, according to scientists.
A parasitological evaluation of edible insects and their role in the transmission of parasitic diseases to humans and animals,” reveals some very nasty potential problems with bug consumption:
The
experimental material comprised samples of live insects (imagines) from
300 household farms and pet stores, including 75 mealworm farms, 75
house cricket farms, 75 Madagascar hissing cockroach farms and 75
migrating locust farms. Parasites were detected in 244 (81.33%) out of
300 (100%) examined insect farms. In 206 (68.67%) of the cases, the
identified parasites were pathogenic for insects only; in 106 (35.33%)
cases, parasites were potentially parasitic for animals; and in 91
(30.33%) cases, parasites were potentially pathogenic for humans. Edible
insects are an underestimated reservoir of human and animal parasites.
Our research indicates the important role of these insects in the
epidemiology of parasites pathogenic to vertebrates. Conducted
parasitological examination suggests that edible insects may be the most
important parasite vector for domestic insectivorous animals. According
to our studies the future research should focus on the need for
constant monitoring of studied insect farms for pathogens, thus
increasing food and feed safety.
There is also significant uncertainty about whether chitin,
a substance that is an essential part of the exoskeleton of many
insects, is edible and whether consumption could be implicated in the a
variety of harmful conditions, from auto-immune responses to cancer.
