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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9 



Standards for the microbial quality of harvest waters and of harvest processing in the 

 exporting country are fully equivalent to those in the United States. 



• Consumers should be advised to cook seafood sufficiently to destroy parasites 

 and bacterial contaminants before consumption. 



• Control systems for microbiological hazards must include inspection 

 techniques, preferably HACCP based, that specifically test for the hazard itself or for 

 some condition that enhances or reduces hazard. Valid microbiological guidelines, 

 established with an appropriate epidemiologic data base, are needed for seafood 

 products. 



• Special attention should be addressed to ensure the safety of seafoods 

 processed by newer techniques, such as sous vide and the use of controlled atmosphere 

 packaging, that are p>otentially hazardous. 



• New or improved methodologies [e.g., enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay 

 (ELISA), gene probe, polymerase chain reaction] should be developed that provide for 

 the rapid identification and quantification of indicators, seafood-associated pathogens, 

 and microbial toxins in seafoods and harvest waters. 



Natural Toxins 



Extent of Risk 



Incidents of illness due to naturally occurring seafood toxins reported to CDC 

 in 1978-1987 were limited to ciguatera, scombroid fish poisoning, paralytic shellfish 

 poisoning (PSP), and neurotoxic (brevetoxic) shellfish poisoning (NSP). Other 

 intoxications, including puffer fish poisoning (PFP), were reponed earlier; diarrhetic 

 shellfish poisoning (DSP) and amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) are possible risks that 

 should be anticipated. Naturally, toxic fish and shellfish are not distinguishable from 

 nontoxic animals by sensory inspection, and the toxins are not destroyed by normal 

 cooking or processing. Except for scombroid fish poisoning, natural intoxications are 

 both highly regional and species associated, and toxins are present in the fish or 

 shellfish at the time of capture. Scombroid poisoning is due to histamine produced by 

 bacteria multiplying on fish that are mishandled after capture; illnesses are widely 

 reponed from different states. 



Ciguatera is a sometimes severe disease caused by consuming certain species of 

 fish from tropical waters usually associated with islands or reefs. The disease is most 

 common (endemic) in the Caribbean and Pacific islands, with some outbreaks in 

 southern Florida and sporadic cases in other states caused by imported fish or tourist 

 travel to endemic areas. Ciguatera was responsible for about half of all reported 

 outbreaks of seafood intoxication in 1978-1987. The treatment is largely supportive, 

 but mortality is low. At present, no effective control systems are in place for the 

 prevention of ciguatera because a test for toxic fish is not generally available. 

 Warnings and advisories concerning the hazards of ciguatera and the risks of 

 consuming particular species of fish from ciguatera areas are issued by various states. 

 Active control is proposed based on regulation of fishing for dangerous species, 

 supported by testing suspect fish at dockside or on board the fishing vessel to detect 

 and reject ciguatoxic fish. Increased education of the consuming public, sports fishers, 

 and health professionals on the hazards and symptoms of ciguatera is also 

 recommended. 



