Foodborne Agents Associated with the Consumption of Aquaculture Catfish

Abstract

In the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act (Farm Bill) of 2008, Congress amended the Federal Meat Inspection Act to provide that catfish be inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). As part of the development of its inspection program, the FSIS conducted an assessment of the food safety risk associated with consuming farm-raised catfish. To thoroughly identify hazards for consideration in the risk assessment, the scientific literature was surveyed for all potential agents that have been linked to illness associated with farm-raised catfish consumption. A review of microbial hazards suggested that Salmonella is the foodborne pathogen most likely to be associated with catfish, but the impact of other pathogens remains unclear. This review also summarizes the current data available on chemical residues in catfish, including pesticides and heavy metals, and any regulatory levels that have been established for these compounds. The current usage of veterinary drugs in aquaculture also is outlined, including information on unapproved usage of drugs in catfish.

Catfish Special Edition: Microbial Quality of Catfish Nuggets

“…Even though isolation of S. aureus was reported from fish processing factory workers [27], and from both raw and frozen fish products [7,27], McCoy et al [13] stated that most cases of S. aureus enterotoxin producers were the result abuse by the consumer or food service personnel. The presence of S. aureus in processing plants was also reported to be seasonal [13,16].…”

“…However, only one catfish-related outbreak in the U. S. was reported in 1991 and was attributed to Salmonella Hadar [1,13]. Andrews et al [6] surveyed retail fresh and frozen channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) for Salmonella and reported that the number of positive samples from the farm-raised catfish was seasonal with a 0.9% incidence for January -March versus 5.7% for July -September.…”

“…Andrews et al [6] surveyed retail fresh and frozen channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) for Salmonella and reported that the number of positive samples from the farm-raised catfish was seasonal with a 0.9% incidence for January -March versus 5.7% for July -September. McCoy et al suggested that Salmonella may be the foodborne pathogen most likely associated with catfish [13].…”

“…In their report McCoy et al stated that Listeria monocytogenes could be a contaminant on raw fish and cooking would eliminate this pathogen [13]. However, they also stated that the faster growth rate of L. monocytogenes on seafood would be a concern due to the difference in muscle tissue pH compared to the growth rate on beef and chicken [13].…”

“…However, they also stated that the faster growth rate of L. monocytogenes on seafood would be a concern due to the difference in muscle tissue pH compared to the growth rate on beef and chicken [13]. Catfish fillets, collected directly from processing plants, were determined to be positive for Listeria spp.…”