State and federal officials are investigating the Asian Food Center in Bellevue, WA, after a woman was diagnosed with a rare and sometimes fatal bacterial infection after handling raw fish from the grocery store.
The woman
Continue Reading Rare bacterial infection linked to fish from Asian Food Center
A recent study may be the first one to link a warming trend in sea surface temperatures to the spread of vibrios and the human diseases which can be caused by pathogenic strains. “In this study, for the first time to our knowledge, experimental evidence is provided on the link
Continue Reading Study directly links increase in vibrio cases to global warming trend
The FDA’s failure to act to protect the public from deadly bacteria in shellfish not only means the agency is in violation of the Food Safety Modernization Act, but it means at least 15 people will likely die unnecessarily every year, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court. “The
Continue Reading FDA sued for failing to impose regs about shellfish bacteria
It can be tricky business to say that one foodborne pathogen is more dangerous than another. Are the criteria the number of illnesses, number of deaths, or percentage of victims who die? Do the severity of an illness or chronic side effects factor into the ranking? The first three pathogens
Continue Reading The 5 Most Dangerous Foodborne Pathogens
The Florida Department of Health has reported eight confirmed Vibrio vulnificus infections, including two deaths, so far this year. Vibrio is a naturally occurring bacterium found in warm, brackish seawater. 
Vibrio infections are rare, and the bacterium does not pose a risk to a normally healthy person (without any open
Continue Reading Eight Vibrio Infections, Including Two Deaths, Reported in Florida
The latest estimates from the Department of Agriculture suggest that foodborne illnesses cost the U.S. $15.5 billion each year. “Economic burden of a disease is not the same thing as the impact of a disease on economic indicators like gross domestic product or even the out-of-pocket cost of treating illness,”
Continue Reading Yearly Economic Burden of Foodborne Illness Estimated at $15.5 Billion
(This article by Liz Bradshaw, a postdoctoral research scholar in NoroCORE, the Norovirus Collaborative for Outreach, Research, and Education based at NC State, is the fifth in a series leading up to April 7, when the World Health Organization celebrated World Health Day, focusing this year on food safety.
Continue Reading Seafood Safety 101: Vibrio in Shellfish
The warmer coastal water temperature produced by summer weather creates ideal conditions for bacteria that can contaminate oysters, the Washington State Department of Health reminded the public over the Fourth of July weekend. Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus, two types of bacteria that grow in warm waters and can cause
Continue Reading Oysters Can Harbor Dangerous Pathogens in Summer Months
There’s red tide in Texas, salinity levels in state waters are way off in Mississippi, and Louisiana has fallen behind Washington state in oyster production. To say Gulf oystermen have not had much cause for optimism since the 2010 BP oil spill is to put it lightly.
Gulf oyster production
Continue Reading Still Too Many Raw Oyster Deaths in Gulf States
The government and seafood industry must work together to reduce illnesses from Vibrio vulnificus – a naturally occurring but potentially fatal bacterium found in Gulf Coast oysters – says the Government Accountability Office.
The GAO this week called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation
