Dear colleagues,
FAO and WHO have issued a new call for specific data regarding Vibrios spp.
in seafood. It is important that the data that your have generated or are
aware of are being made available for this work since the outcome of this
work will probably have far reaching consequences on how Vibrios spp. are
dealt with in the future.
Looking forward to your contributions.
With best regards
Peter.
-------------------------------------------
Peter Karim Ben Embarek
Fishery Industry Officer
Fish Utilization and Marketing Service, Fishery Industries Division, Food
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Via Delle Terme di Caracalla, 0100 Rome, Italy
Tel:: +39 06 570 55034 Fax: +39 06 570 55188 E.mail:
peter.benembarek@fao.org URL : http://www.fao.org
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations & World
Health Organization
JOINT FAO/WHO ACTIVITIES ON
RISK ASSESSMENT OF MICROBIOLOGICAL HAZARDS IN FOODS
April 2001
Second Request for Risk Assessments on, and data relevant to risk assessment
of Vibrio spp. in Seafood :
Background
In December 2000 FAO and WHO issued a call for risk assessments and other
related data on Vibrio spp. in seafood. This call for data was issued to
support the activities of the Joint FAO/WHO Programme of work on risk
assessment of microbiological hazards in foods, which aims to provide expert
microbiological risk assessment advice to FAO and WHO Member Countries and
to the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
An ad hoc drafting group has been established to prepare papers on exposure
assessment and hazard characterization of Vibrio spp. in seafood. These
papers will be presented to a Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Risk
Assessment of Microbiological Hazards in Foods on 23 - 27 July 2001 for
review and evaluation. In October 2001 the preliminary report of this
expert consultation should be available to Member Countries and the Codex
Committee on Food Hygiene (CCFH).
The initiation meeting of the drafting group was held in Rome on 6-7 March
2001. During this meeting the drafting groups identified a number of key
areas for which they require data and information in order to carry out
their work.
The key data requirements identified by the drafting groups are as follows:
1. Vibrio parahaemolyticus
a. Abundance (quantitative data preferred) at harvest of total and
pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in oysters or other seafoods that may be
consumed raw or used in ready-to-eat seafoods.
b. Temperature and salinity of the harvest waters.
c. Information on storage, handling and processing practices that may
affect survival and growth of V. parahaemolyticus.
d. Survival and growth rates applicable to typical industry storage,
handling and processing conditions.
e. Abundance of V. parahaemolyticus at point of consumption in above
commodities.
f. Amount of consumption for each of the above commodities.
g. Number of illnesses reported for each of the above commodities.
h. Dose response data of various strains in animal models or humans.
i. Data on effect of mitigation (i.e. pasteurization, freezing, high
pressure, irradiation).
2. Vibrio vulnificus
a. Abundance (quantitative data preferred) at harvest of total V.
vulnificus in oysters.
b. Temperature and salinity of the harvest waters.
c. Information on storage, handling and processing practices that may
affect survival and growth of V. vulnificus.
d. Survival and growth rates applicable to typical industry storage,
handling and processing conditions.
e. Abundance of V. vulnificus at point of consumption in raw oysters.
f. Amount of consumption for raw oysters.
g. Portion of the population with chronic illnesses (i.e. liver
disease, immunocompromised, diabetes).
h. Number of illnesses reported for raw oysters.
i. Dose response data of various strains in animal models or humans.
j. Data on effect of mitigation (i.e. pasteurization, freezing, high
pressure, irradiation).
3. Vibrio cholerae
a. Abundance (quantitative data preferred) at harvest of toxigenic V.
cholerae in shrimp.
b. Temperature and salinity of the harvest waters.
c. Wild or aquaculture harvest.
d. Information on storage, handling and processing practices that may
affect survival and growth of V. cholerae.
e. Survival and growth rates applicable to typical industry storage,
handling and processing conditions.
f. Abundance of V. cholerae at point of consumption in cooked, raw or
ready-to-eat shrimp.
g. Amount of consumption for each of the above commodities.
h. Number of illnesses reported for each of the above commodities.
i. Dose response data of various strains in animal models or humans.
j. Data on effect of mitigation (i.e. pasteurization, freezing, high
pressure, irradiation).
Since abundance of vibrios is largely dependent on temperature, it would be
helpful to organise data by month and region (areas within a nation that are
climatically distinct). It would be most useful to have data from the same
region throughout the year for exposure, consumption and illness rates.
IMPORTANT: When providing data on prevalence and concentration of Vibrio
please also include information on the sample plan and methodology used if
possible.
Request for risk assessments and other relevant information
FAO and WHO are requesting governments, interested organizations, fish and
seafood processors, academia, and individuals to submit any available data
on the specific areas indicated above. This data may be published or
unpublished. Reference should be made to related published studies, where
applicable. Receipt of such information is very important in ensuring the
success and the provision of expert advice on risk assessment of
microbiological hazards in foods at the international level.
Confidential and/or unpublished risk assessment
FAO and WHO recognise that some of the risk assessment and relevant data
which is now required may be unpublished or of a confidential nature. With
regard to unpublished risk assessments and data, this remains the property
of the author for subsequent publication by the owner as original material.
Unpublished confidential studies that are submitted will be safeguarded in
so far as it is possible to do so without compromising the work of the
drafting groups. Specific issues relating to confidentiality should be
discussed directly between the risk assessment and data owners and FAO/WHO.
For these and other issues please contact FAO and WHO at the contacts
provided below.
Please submit your risk assessments and other relevant data (electronic and
/ or hard copies) to either of the following addresses, not later than 1 May
2001:
Food Safety Programme, Attention: Dr. Hajime Toyofuku,
World Health Organization, Avenue Appia 1211 Geneva 27 Switzerland
Facsimile: +41 22 791 3556 Telephone: +41 22 791 4807 Email:
toyofukuh@who.int <mailto:toyofukuh@who.int>
or
Food Quality and Standards Service, Attention: Ms. Maria de Lourdes
Costarrica, Food and Nutrition Division, Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00100 Rome, Italy
Telephone: + 39 06 570 56060 Facsimile: + 39 06 570 54593 Email:
lourdes.costarrica@fao.org <mailto:lourdes.costarrica@fao.org>
More information available at :
http://www.fao.org/es/ESN/pagerisk/riskpage.htm
<http://www.fao.org/es/ESN/pagerisk/riskpage.htm>
http://www.who.int/fsf/mbriskassess/index.htm
<http://www.who.int/fsf/mbriskassess/index.htm>
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