Killer water chestnuts

Fasciolopsis buski: The water chestnut's little friend.

What could possibly be dangerous about water chestnuts? Well, those crunchy little bits of lovely that have improved many a Chinese meal over the years have a dark secret – parasites.

Raw water chestnuts often play home to Fasciolopsis buski, the largest intestinal fluke affecting humans which causes a disease called fasciolopsiasis.

Death from fasciolopsiasis is rare, but not unknown if you manage to contract large numbers of the parasites. Maybe I’ll only have the one Chinese take out this week.

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