The squid Todarodes pacificus is a commercially important fishery species in East Asia. As East Asians consume raw or lightly cooked squids, there has been growing concern about parasitic infections associated with squid consumption. In the current study, five squids caught in the East Sea were sampled for parasitological research from the biggest fishery market in Seoul, Republic of Korea. They were dissected and examined for parasites using a light microscope. Proteocephalus sp. was isolated and identified using field emission scanning electron microscopy, PCR, and sequencing. Given that Proteocephalus spp. can be affected by water temperature and geographical characteristics, further research on Proteocephalus spp. with respect to changes in water temperature in the East Sea is important.

• Jin Woo Jun(Laboratory of Aquatic Biomedicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University)
• Sib Sankar Giri(Laboratory of Aquatic Biomedicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University)
• Hyoun Joong Kim(Laboratory of Aquatic Biomedicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University)
• Saekil Yun(Laboratory of Aquatic Biomedicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University)
• Cheng Chi(Laboratory of Aquatic Biomedicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University)
• Sang Guen Kim(Laboratory of Aquatic Biomedicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University)
• Se Chang Park(Laboratory of Aquatic Biomedicine, College of Veterinary Medicine and Research Institute for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University) Corresponding Author