Seafood

Members of the genus Vibrio are Gram-negative mobile rods, usually producing oxidase and catalase. Over 100 Vibrio species have been described and around a dozen of these have been demonstrated to cause infections in humans (Codex, 2010; Hartnell et al., 2019). The species most associated with foodborne infections include V. parahaemolyticus, V. vulnificus and V. cholerae (FDA-2012).

Campylobacter species are widely distributed in most warm-blooded animals. They are prevalent in food animals such as poultry, cattle, pigs, sheep and ostriches; and in pets, including cats and dogs². The bacteria have also been found in shellfish. Campylobacter has a low infective dose (less than 500), which means that coming into contact with a few bacteria can cause illness. Patients infected with Campylobacter may experience mild to severe illness. 

Salmonella is a genus of gram negative bacilli belonging to the Enterobacteriaceae family and composed of 2 species, Salmonella bongori and Salmonella enterica. Salmonella is one of the main causes of diarrhoeal diseases and foodborne illnesses. It can be present in animals and food materials and is robust in that it can survive several weeks in a dry environment and several months in water.