Risk of Vibrio Transmission Linked to the Consumption of Crustacean in Coastal Towns of Côte d’Ivoire

• Published in: Journal of food protection 2012-06, Vol.75 (6), p.1004-1011
• Main Authors: TRAORÉ, S. G., BONFOH, B., KRABI, R., ODERMATT, P., UTZINGER, J., ROSE, K.-N., TANNER, M., FREY, J., QUILICI, M.-L., KOUSSÉMON, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0362-028X; 1944-9097
• DOI: 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-11-472

The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of Vibrio spp. transmission from crustaceans to humans in two coastal towns of Côte d’Ivoire. Bacteriologic analysis was performed on 322 crustacean samples obtained from six markets in Abidjan and one in Dabou. Suspected colonies of Vibrio spp. were identified by morphological, cultural, biochemical and molecular tests, and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to further characterize Vibrio strains. Additionally, a survey on consumption of crustaceans was conducted among 120 randomly selected households in Abidjan. Overall, Vibrio spp. were isolated from 7.8% of the crustacean samples studied, at concentrations as high as 6.3 Log colony forming unit per gram. Vibrio strains identified were divided into 40% Vibrio alginolyticus , 36% Vibrio parahaemolyticus , and 24% non-toxigenic Vibrio cholerae with the latter two species potentially causing mild to severe forms of seafood-associated gastroenteritis. Among interviewed households, 11.7% reported daily consumption of crustaceans, confirming the high probability of exposure of human population to Vibrio spp., and 7.5% reported symptoms of food poisoning after consumption of crustaceans. The absence of genes encoding major virulence factors in the studied strains, i.e., cholera toxin ( ctxA and ctxB ) for V. cholerae and thermostable direct hemolysin ( tdh ) and tdh -related haemolysin ( trh ) for V. parahaemolyticus , does not exclude the possibility of a potential exposure to pathogenic strains. However, food preparation practices prevent human infections, as most households boil crustaceans before consumption (96.7%), usually for at least 45 min (85.9%).