In Summary
- L. monocytogenes is considered a significant hazard in seafood products, and the tool focusses on it, however other pathogens may need to be considered.
- For instance, Clostridium botulinum, an anaerobic (grows without oxygen) bacterium also found in the environment, which can cause botulism, a potentially lethal illness. Raw and fermented fish are reported as being particularly at risk from C. botulinum.
- Other microbial hazards may include various Vibrio species, Shigella species, Salmonella species, pathogenic E. coli, and Yersinia enterocolitica. References are provided below for more information on these pathogens.
Infection by L. monocytogenes represents a serious hazard to vulnerable patients because the resultant disease will cause death in 20-30% of cases (Gillespie et al. 2010; Mehmood et al. 2017). Consequently, these tools and associated information were designed to help food business operators (FBOs) to:
- Make informed assessments of the risks associated with L. monocytogenes during the processing of smoked seafoods.
- Develop science-based mitigations and strategies to help lower those risks.
Although, L. monocytogenes is a significant hazard for seafood, it is important to remember it is not the only consideration for the manufacture of foods that are safe for consumers. Other hazards of note that FBOs may wish to make consideration of in their HACCP schemes includes Clostridium botulinum.
C. botulinum is an obligate anaerobic bacterium commonly isolated from soil (Hannett et al. 2011). C. botulinum is associated with aquatic foods, particularly those caught in freshwater and coastal saltwater areas, that are proximal to soil (Horowitz, 2010). Raw and fermented fish as well as mollusc shellfish have been reported as particularly problematic (Horowitz, 2010). Preservation of seafood in jars or cans and the use of vacuum packing, which excludes oxygen, may require specific consideration in the context of C. botulinum. Infection by C. botulinum is called botulism and is also serious because it can result in patient paralyses and death as a consequence of toxin production by Clostridium.
Other microbiological hazards that have been associated with seafoods includes Vibrio parahaemolyticus, V. cholera, Shigella spp., Salmonella spp., toxigenic E. coli and Yersinia enterocolitica. It is beyond the scope of these supplementary materials to review each of these microbiological hazards, but they have comprehensively reviewed previously (Elbashir et al. 2018; Dumen et al. 2020; Sheng and Wang, 2021).
References
Horowitz, B. Z. (2010) Type E botulism. Clin. Toxicol. (Phila). 48, 880-95.
Hungerford, J. M. (2010) Scombroid poisoning: a review. Toxicon 56, 231-43.
