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Public health aspects of Vibrio spp. related to the consumption of seafood in the EU

Authors :
EFSA Panel on Biological Hazards (BIOHAZ)
Konstantinos Koutsoumanis
Ana Allende
Avelino Alvarez‐Ordóñez
Declan Bolton
Sara Bover‐Cid
Marianne Chemaly
Alessandra De Cesare
Lieve Herman
Friederike Hilbert
Roland Lindqvist
Maarten Nauta
Romolo Nonno
Luisa Peixe
Giuseppe Ru
Marion Simmons
Panagiotis Skandamis
Craig Baker‐Austin
Dominique Hervio‐Heath
Jaime Martinez‐Urtaza
Eva Sanjuán Caro
Eckhard Strauch
Anne Thébault
Beatriz Guerra
Winy Messens
Ancuta Cezara Simon
Rubén Barcia‐Cruz
Elisabetta Suffredini
Source :
EFSA Journal, Vol 22, Iss 7, Pp n/a-n/a (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
Wiley, 2024.

Abstract

Abstract Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus and non‐O1/non‐O139 Vibrio cholerae are the Vibrio spp. of highest relevance for public health in the EU through seafood consumption. Infection with V. parahaemolyticus is associated with the haemolysins thermostable direct haemolysin (TDH) and TDH‐related haemolysin (TRH) and mainly leads to acute gastroenteritis. V. vulnificus infections can lead to sepsis and death in susceptible individuals. V. cholerae non‐O1/non‐O139 can cause mild gastroenteritis or lead to severe infections, including sepsis, in susceptible individuals. The pooled prevalence estimate in seafood is 19.6% (95% CI 13.7–27.4), 6.1% (95% CI 3.0–11.8) and 4.1% (95% CI 2.4–6.9) for V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus and non‐choleragenic V. cholerae, respectively. Approximately one out of five V. parahaemolyticus‐positive samples contain pathogenic strains. A large spectrum of antimicrobial resistances, some of which are intrinsic, has been found in vibrios isolated from seafood or food‐borne infections in Europe. Genes conferring resistance to medically important antimicrobials and associated with mobile genetic elements are increasingly detected in vibrios. Temperature and salinity are the most relevant drivers for Vibrio abundance in the aquatic environment. It is anticipated that the occurrence and levels of the relevant Vibrio spp. in seafood will increase in response to coastal warming and extreme weather events, especially in low‐salinity/brackish waters. While some measures, like high‐pressure processing, irradiation or depuration reduce the levels of Vibrio spp. in seafood, maintaining the cold chain is important to prevent their growth. Available risk assessments addressed V. parahaemolyticus in various types of seafood and V. vulnificus in raw oysters and octopus. A quantitative microbiological risk assessment relevant in an EU context would be V. parahaemolyticus in bivalve molluscs (oysters), evaluating the effect of mitigations, especially in a climate change scenario. Knowledge gaps related to Vibrio spp. in seafood and aquatic environments are identified and future research needs are prioritised.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
18314732
Volume :
22
Issue :
7
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
EFSA Journal
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.1321e910649145658357e72678dc8bf2
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2024.8896