Here’s a great reason not to eat raw seafood.
A 375-year-old mummy found in South Korea had a parasitic liver infection, and researchers think that he may have gotten the infection by eating raw shellfish.
The man was identified as Jing Lee, who died in 1642 at the age of 63 in Cheongo, and his body was very well-preserved when he was discovered, the New Scientist reported, citing a team headed by Min Seo at Dankook University College of Medicine, South Korea.
Seo’s team noted an odd lump in Jing’s liver, and they later discovered that it contained golden-brown eggs.
They identified them as belonging to a parasitic fluke, Paragonimus westermani, which can cause hepatic paragonimiasis—a rare form of infestation. They’re contracted via eating freshwater shellfish, and it’s likely that Jing picked it up by eating raw crabs or crayfish, according to the report.
Both animals were consumed by the Joseon culture that he was a member of. “However, I cannot say that this pathological condition could be the cause of death,” Seo said, adding that it’s unclear if he had pain or fever.
“The parasite will penetrate through the lining of the intestine and then it’s free to move around the peritoneal cavity,” said James Diaz at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans. “A patient will spit up bloody sputum,” added Diaz. “That’s what brings them into the doctor’s office.”
He noted that the parasite typically goes for the lungs, but it can end up in the liver.
