Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Apr;23(2):399-411.
doi: 10.1128/CMR.00059-09.

Epidemiology of seafood-associated infections in the United States

Martha Iwamoto  1 , Tracy Ayers, Barbara E Mahon, David L Swerdlow
Affiliations
Review

Epidemiology of seafood-associated infections in the United States

Martha Iwamoto et al. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

Seafood is part of a healthful diet, but seafood consumption is not risk-free. Seafood is responsible for an important proportion of food-borne illnesses and outbreaks in the United States. Seafood-associated infections are caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites; this diverse group of pathogens results in a wide variety of clinical syndromes, each with its own epidemiology. 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. Prevention of seafood-associated infections requires an understanding not only of the etiologic agents and seafood commodities associated with illness but also of the mechanisms of contamination that are amenable to control. Defining these problem areas, which relies on surveillance of seafood-associated infections through outbreak and case reporting, can lead to targeted research and help to guide control efforts. Coordinated efforts are necessary to further reduce the risk of seafood-associated illnesses. Continued surveillance will be important to assess the effectiveness of current and future prevention strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Number of confirmed seafood-associated outbreaks and outbreak-related cases, by year and etiology, 1973 to 2006.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
Number of confirmed seafood-associated outbreaks, by etiology and month of occurrence, 1973 to 2006.
FIG. 3.
FIG. 3.
Number of confirmed seafood-associated outbreaks in the United States, by state, 1973 to 2006.
FIG. 4.
FIG. 4.
Percentages of seafood-associated outbreaks of infection attributable to seafood commodities in four multiyear ranges.
FIG. 5.
FIG. 5.
Numbers of outbreaks and sporadic cases of Vibrio infection, by species and year, 1997 to 2006.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abbott, S. L., J. M. Janda, J. A. Johnson, and J. J. Farmer. 2007. Vibrio and related organisms, 9th ed. ASM Press, Washington, DC.
    1. Ayers, T., M. Iwamoto, D. L. Swerdlow, and I. Williams. 2008. Epidemiology of seafood-associated outbreaks in the United States, 1973-2006, abstr. P3-70. Abstr. Int. Assoc. Food Prot. Annu. Meeting, Columbus, OH.
    1. Bialek, S. R., P. A. George, G. L. Xia, M. B. Glatzer, M. L. Motes, J. E. Veazey, R. M. Hammond, T. Jones, Y. C. Shieh, J. Wamnes, G. Vaughan, Y. Khudyakov, and A. E. Fiore. 2007. Use of molecular epidemiology to confirm a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A caused by consumption of oysters. Clin. Infect. Dis. 44:838-840. - PubMed
    1. Blake, P. A., M. H. Merson, R. E. Weaver, D. G. Hollis, and P. C. Heublein. 1979. Disease caused by a marine vibrio: clinical characteristics and epidemiology. N. Engl. J. Med. 300:1-5. - PubMed
    1. Brands, D. A., A. E. Inman, C. P. Gerba, J. Mare, S. J. Billington, L. A. Saif, J. F. Levine, and L. A. Joens. 2005. Prevalence of Salmonella spp. in oysters in the United States. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:893-897. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms