The Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN) has published a new report from its Scientific Committee on the microbiological criteria for Vibrio cholerae applicable as additional measures of border controls on imported frozen prawns and other fishery products.
In recent years, an increase in the presence of Vibrio species in products derived from fishing has been detected as a consequence of phenomena associated with climate change, international trade and the development of new detection and diagnosis methods, specifically, serogroups of V . cholerae O1 and O139, as well as strains carrying the gene that codes for cholera toxin (ctx positive strains), which pose a risk to the consumer through the ingestion of contaminated fish foods. Regulation (EC) 2073/2005, relating to microbiological criteria applicable to foodstuffs, does not establish criteria at European Union level for any species of Vibrio , so there is no harmonized criterion on border controls.
Based on the literature analyzed, the Scientific Committee report concludes that the prevalence of V. cholerae O1 and O139, as well as ctx-positive strains in imported frozen shrimp and other fishery products, is low, so that the risk to the consumer would be, mainly, associated with poor handling and storage practices.
Regarding the risk to the consumer derived from the presence of V. cholerae in raw frozen prawns and other fish products, the report indicates that the previous phases of washing and putting on ice, together with the application of a freezing process, can reduce the concentration of the pathogen, and cooking treatments at 70ºC for 2 minutes in the center of the product guarantee the elimination of V. cholerae .
The risk associated with ingesting ready-to-eat cooked frozen prawns and other fishery products is related to post-cooking contamination, according to the report’s conclusions. Given that the product does not undergo any inactivation treatment after cooking and prior to consumption, it is necessary to follow Good Hygiene Practices and the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points to reduce the risk. of product contamination.
The report also indicates that the pathogenicity of non-toxigenic V. cholerae serogroups is not yet well defined, and there is no solid evidence about foodborne infection.
V. cholerae is transmitted from person to person via the fecal-oral route or indirectly through contaminated food or water. Among different foods, fishery products are the main source of V. cholerae infection in the world. V. cholerae infection can be asymptomatic or present with severe clinical forms. Cholera can occur as a sporadic, epidemic or endemic disease, known to cause severe diarrhea and dehydration that can lead to death in the absence of medical treatment.
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