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Almost all the foods we usually eat are potential carriers of parasites, and some have a strong pathological component for the human species. These parasites are difficult to see without the use of specific and specialised inspection techniques, especially as a result of their tiny size. These are creatures that belong to different zoological groups – protozoa, helminths and arthropods – and that use very varied biological strategies to get to food. Their presence in food can be the result of contamination, usually of faecal origin, while there are also those that are typical parasites of animals that in the form of food are part of our diet. These parasites, their form of transmission through food and the essential prophylactic measures are as important as they are unknown to consumers. The alimentary transmission of parasites is quite unknown to the general population, except for the case of anisakis, which has recently received a lot of publicity.
Breu CV
Màrius Fuentes holds a degree and a PhD in Pharmacy from the University of Valencia (UV), 1986 and 1992. Associate professor (1992-2000) and full time professor (since 2000) of Parasitology at the University of Valencia. He has published more than 80 articles in magazines and books in the specialty, and has participated in more than 50 conferences. Researcher in 25 R+D projects, he has carried out research stays in Europe, America and Asia. Member of the Parasites and Health research group of the University of Valencia, his main lines of research are:
- Epidemiology of foodborne parasites (protozoa in vegetables, toxoplama and Taenia in meat, Anisakis in fish).
- Application of geographic information systems (GIS) to the epidemiology of diseases transmitted by invertebrates (malaria, schistosomiasis and fascioliasis).
- Ecology of parasites in conditions of insularity and post-fire regeneration processes and other natural disasters.
- Climate change and the reintroduction of malaria in Spain.
- Medical entomology (epidemiology of mosquitoes, flies, lice and bedbugs, human ectoparasites).
As for his academic positions at the University of Valencia, he was director of the Prevention and Environment Service and member of the dean's team of the Faculty of Pharmacy from 1999 to 2006. He is a spokesperson of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Society of Parasitology (SOCEPA ) and founding member of the international scientific society Geospatial Health.
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Stimulating scientific vocations is a project of the Scientific Culture and Innovation Unit of the University of Valencia, which has co-funding from the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology and the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
