Informe del Comité Científico de la Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (AESAN) sobre los criterios microbiológicos para Vibrio cholerae aplicables, como medidas adicionales de control en los puestos de control fronterizos, a langostinos y otros productos de la pesca congelados importados

Resum

In recent years, an increase in the presence of Vibrio species in fishery products has been detected as a result of phenomena associated with climate change, international trade and the development of new detection and diagnosis methods. Specifically, it is the serogroups of V. cholerae O1 and O139, as well as the strains carrying the gene that codes for cholera toxin (ctx positive strains), that pose a risk to the consumer through the intake of contaminated fishery products. The lack of a harmonised criterion on border controls, together with the increasing presence of non-toxigenic non-O1/non-O139 strains, highlights the need to more accurately assess the risk to the consumer of the presence of V. cholerae in frozen prawns and other fishery products, both raw and cooked ready-to-eat, and establish microbiological criteria, within the framework of controlling these products. Based on the literature analysed, the prevalence of V. cholerae O1 and O139, as well as ctx positive strains in imported frozen prawns and other fishery products is low, so the risk to the consumer is mainly associated with poor handling and storage practices. On the other hand, the pathogenicity of non-toxigenic V. cholerae serogroups is not yet well defined, and there is no solid evidence of foodborne infection. Therefore, based on the evidence found, it is recommended to maintain the microbiological criterion of absence in 25 g of product, whether frozen, raw or cooked ready-to-eat prawns or other fishery products, in the case of V. cholerae O1 and O139, as well as other ctx positive strains, given the inherent risk associated with disease. For those strains of non-toxigenic V. cholerae, there is not enough evidence about their pathogenicity, so no intervention measures are suggested beyond the monitoring of Good Hygiene Practices (GHP), applicable to any fishery product. In relation to the risk associated with the presence of V. cholerae in raw, frozen prawn and other fishery products, it follows that cooking treatments at 70 ºC for 2 minutes in the centre of the product guarantee the elimination of the pathogen. In the case of frozen, cooked ready-to-eat prawns and other fishery products, microbiological risk is associated with contamination after cooking treatment. In order to mitigate the risk to the consumer, it is necessary to apply GHP and the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) throughout the production, distribution and consumption chain.