Shellfish Alert — Vibrio parahaemolyticus Moves East

The last 2 years have seen a marked increase in Vibrio infections traced to raw shellfish and caused by a pathogen previously endemic to the Pacific Northwest.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) flourishes in warm coastal saltwater. When ingested with raw or undercooked shellfish such as clams or oysters, it can cause mild to severe gastroenteritis; about 35,000 such infections are acquired in the U.S. each year.

Vp serotypes O4:K12 and O4:K(unknown) comprise the Pacific Northwest (PNW) strain. In mid-2012, this strain appeared in shellfish harvested from Oyster Bay Harbor, New York, causing an outbreak of 28 illnesses in nine states. At the same time, Vp of the PNW strain caused an outbreak on a cruise ship docked along the Atlantic Coast of Spain. All isolates from the two outbreaks were indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

In 2013, this strain caused 104 illnesses in 13 states. Six pa…

Reviewing Author

Stephen G. Baum, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardClinical Infectious Diseases

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Editorial BoardsMedical Letter

Stephen G. Baum, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardClinical Infectious Diseases

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsMedical Letter

Shellfish Alert — Vibrio parahaemolyticus Moves East

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Reviewing Author