Food borne illness outbreaks associated with consumption of seafood

A large number of bacterial illnesses may arise from the consumption of seafood that has either been contaminated at source or which becomes contaminated during the processing, handling, and retail chain. Such illnesses may arise from infection with the bacteria themselves or by the ingestion of toxins formed in the foodstuff prior to consumption. Seafood commodities, wild and farmed, produced from bivalve mollusks, crustaceans, cephalopods or finfish; represent some of the most important protein sources in human nutrition, having a reputation as healthy and nutritious products (Huss, 2003). Seafood-borne diseases of microbiological origin can be caused by viable organisms and/or by toxins that they produce, which enter the gastrointestinal tract. Some seafood commodities are inherently more risky than others owing to many factors, including the nature of the environment from which they come, their mode of feeding, the season during which they are harvested, and how they are prepared and served. The risk of disease from these agents varies by pathogen, dose, host and characteristics of the seafood matrix (HPA, 2009).