Case study: Vibrio vulnificus in oysters

Case study: Vibrio vulnificus in oysters

Background paper for the Joint FAO/WHO expert consultation on the development of risk management strategies based on microbiological risk assessment outputs - Kiel, Germany, 3-7 April 2006

Year of publication 2006

Pages 31 p.

Product type Document

Edition 1

Full item page

Synopsis (short abstract) The Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH) has requested that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the united Nations and the World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) provide scientific advice on how Performance Objectives (PO) and Performance Criteria (PC) can be utilized to achieve Food Safety Objectives (FSO). The ultimate goal is to produce a reference document that will assist CCFH and countries in using risk assessment to develop risk management measures. This Working Group was assigned th e task of interpreting data and information on Vibrio vulnificus illness associated with the consumption of oysters, including the FAO/WHO Risk Assessment of Vibrio vulnificus in Raw Oysters (FAO/WHO, 2005), and transforming it into practical guidance that can be used by risk managers to elaborate potential risk management options. Such guidance involves knowledge of the dynamics of pathogen growth, survival and inactivation in order to establish scientifically defensible POs and PCs at specific points within the food chain, as well as to identify potential microbiological, process and product criteria.

Language English

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Risk Assessment of Vibrio vulnificus in Raw Oysters. Interpretative Summary and Technical Report. Microbiological Risk Assessment Series (MRA) 8 2005

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The Members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and of the World Health Organization (WHO) have expressed concern regarding the level of safety of food both at national and international levels. Increasing foodborne disease incidence over the last decades seems, in many countries, to be related to an increase in disease caused by microorganisms in food. This concern has been voiced in meetings of the Governing Bodies of both Organizations and in the Cod ex Alimentarius Commission. It is not easy to decide whether the suggested increase is real or an artefact of changes in other areas, such as improved disease surveillance or better detection methods for microorganisms in foods. However, the important issue is whether new tools or revised and improved actions can contribute to our ability to lower the disease burden and provide safer food. Fortunately new tools, which can facilitate actions, seem to be on their way.
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Risk assessment tools for Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus associated with seafood
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There has been an increase in reported outbreaks and cases of foodborne disease attributed to pathogenic Vibrio species. As a result, there have been several instances where the presence of pathogenic Vibrio spp. in seafood has led to a disruption in international trade. A number of Vibrio spp. are increasingly being recognized as potential human pathogens. The food safety concerns associated with these microorganisms have led to the need for microbiological risk assessment for their control. This report provides the review of risk assessment of existing tools for V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus in oysters and different bivalve molluscan species, the available information on testing methodology and recommend microbiological methods to monitor the levels of pathogenic Vibrio spp. in seafood and/or water. Such tools are envisioned to support countries in their efforts to use risk-based approaches in the selection of control measures appropriate for their seafood species, primary production and post-harvest practices. This volume and others in this Microbiological Risk Assessment Series contain information that is useful to both risk assessors and risk managers, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, governments and regulatory authorities, food producers and processers and other institutions and individuals with an interest in Vibrio spp. and its control.
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Advances in science and risk assessment tools for Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus associated with seafood
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Globally, the Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus represent important human pathogens associated with the consumption of seafood. In response to the requests for scientific advice from Codex Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH), risk assessments for the pathogens V. vulnificus, V. cholerae, V. parahaemolyticus and guidance on methods for the detection of Vibrio spp. with seafood have been conducted and published previously by JEMRA. In order to provide an update on the state-of-the-art advice regarding risk assessment for V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus in seafood, an expert meeting was convened. Several critical developments in the last decade were subsequently noted by the expert working group: 1) The emergence of highly pathogenic strains; 2) In response to climate change, there has been a significant geographical spread regarding when and where these seafood-associated Vibrio infections; 3) Demographic considerations are very important; 4) A range of new approaches for best practice; and 5) A range of new methods, such as those utilising genomics and satellite imagery. This report describes the output of that expert meeting.