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Two strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus were isolated from stool specimens of a patient who came down with gastroenteritis 20 hours after eating imported mussels which had not been cooked sufficiently. This is the first documented case of V. parahaemolyticus enteritis acquired in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Because the previous studies of 541 fish of the Southern Central Baltic Sea area gave negative results for the presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, 150 shellfish and 40 mud samples of the same origin were tested this time. In none of them presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus nor Vibrio alginolyticus has been stated, though.

Certain pathogenic micro-organisms in or on food of animal origin still constitute a particular hygienic risk. Salmonellae are found chiefly on meat and in meat products including poultry. Most of the infections with salmonellae in men are presumably caused by the consumption of raw products of animal origin. Our stock of slaughter animals is most often latently infected. During the slaughter and the processing meat surfaces are contaminated with salmonellae. Nevertheless a precautionary decontamination of these surfaces is not undertaken. Furthermore contaminations are still ignored by the official microbial meat inspection, and it is still allowed to use the meat for the production of minced meat meant to be eaten raw. Foods are also "infected" when the pathogenic organisms are introduced by contamination. It is not admissible to consider a small amount of salmonellae in food of animal origin as an acceptable lack of security that is to be respected by the consumer. Usual thinking models and customs are to be made dubious. It is shown at the example of raw meat and mussels that the hygiene of food must be optimized by comprising food technology.