Showing posts with label shellfish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shellfish. Show all posts

Friday, February 9, 2018

FDA Has Increased Number of Imported Shrimp Refusals

According to Seafood Source, the FDA has had an increase in the number of import refusals for shrimp in the month of January.    The issues were due to the presence of Salmonella while others were rejected for the presence of banned antibiotics.  

As stated in the article, many of these suppliers are on import alert which holds the import until the proper testing can be completed. Once a supplier is place on import alert, it can be very difficult to get off of that list.

Seafood Source
https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/food-safety-health/fdas-shrimp-import-refusals-rose-in-january
FDA’s shrimp import refusals rose in January
By Christine Blank

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Hepatitis Outbreak in Hawaii Linked to Raw Scallops

Raw sea scallops served at a sushi restaurant in Hawaii are being blamed for over 200 cases of Hepatitis A.  This is one of the largest Hepatitis A cases in the US in the last 20 years.

While sushi grade seafood must be frozen in order to kill parasites, this freezing process will not eliminate bacteria and viruses. 

The scallops are reported to have been sourced from the Philippines.

Hawaii Dept of Health
DOH NEWS RELEASE: Hawaii Department of Health orders embargo of frozen imported scallops and closure of Genki Sushi restaurants on Oahu and Kauai

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Raw Shellfish and the Risk Associated with Vibrio vulnificus

This news report, submitted by our colleague Larry Grunden, shows the potential danger of infection associated with eating raw clams and oysters. In this report, a 61 year old woman suffered a life threatening Vibrio vulnificus infection after eating raw clams two year ago. She survived, but did need to have her leg amputated, and nearly lost one of her arms. (The attached news report is incorrect in calling this a virus).

Vibrio vulnificus is a gram negative bacterium found in warm seawater. In healthy people, it can cause gastroenteritis (vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain), but in people with an underlying health issue, particularly chronic liver disease, it cause infection of the bloodstream (septicemia). In these cases, it has a high mortality rate (~50%). The organism is highly invasive and produces toxins (a cytolysin, a hemolysin, and a thermolysin).

A few other notes:
- Hot sauce will not kill the organism.
- Consumption of liquor will not help either, in fact, those who drink too much of this type of sauce will be more susceptible.
- Other pathogens associated with raw clams and oysters that are also naturally found in seawater – other members of the Vibrio family (Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio cholerae - causative agent for cholera, and other vibrio species), Aeromonas, and Plesiomonas.
- Enteric pathogens associated with shellfish contamination - the viruses norovirus and Hepatitis A as well as bacterial pathogens Shigella, Salmonella, Campylobacter, and E. coli.
- Water testing done for the safety of harvesting water normally uses indicators associated with fecal contamination. This is good for the enteric pathogens, but not good for the pathogens such as Vibrio that are naturally found in seawater.
- The risk of Vibrio vulnificus contamination increases in the warmer months (due to warmer ocean waters).

Key message – there is a risk when consuming raw oysters and clams, and this risk is greatly magnified for those with underlying health issues such as immunosuppression or advanced age, and especially chronic liver disease.


Flesh-eating virus nearly cost woman her life
http://www.wgal.com/news/susquehanna-valley/york-adams/Flesh-eating-virus-nearly-cost-woman-her-life/-/9704248/15568968/-/item/1/-/gqpdltz/-/index.html

Lewisberry woman got bacteria from clams
LEWISBERRY, Pa. - 


A York County woman nearly died from a flesh-eating bacteria she came in contact with about two years ago.

Maureen Horan, 61, known to her friends as "Mo," said she almost didn't survive her ordeal.
Her near-death ordeal began on the last day of a 2010 during a vacation to the Jersey Shore. Horan and her husband, Dennis, had a late lunch. Horan's meal included raw clams.

"I knew there was something wrong when I swallowed the one clam, but it was too late," Horan said.

By the next day Horan said she was in severe pain. She went to the emergency came home, but her condition only got worse.

"I get up and the pain is worse. My toes are black, my arm is red, my leg is red and my sister-in-law said, "I don't know what it is, but you make them admit her," Horan said.