Seafood pathogens and information on antimicrobial resistance: A review

- Seafood consumption increased during the last decades worldwide.
- Contamination of seafood (from harvest to fork) is a major public health hazard.
- Contaminants may be biological, chemical or physical.
- Seafood-borne illnesses and antimicrobial resistance are serious concerns.

Seafood-borne diseases are a major public health hazard in the United States and worldwide. Per capita, seafood consumption has increased globally during recent decades. Seafood importation and domestic aquaculture farming has also increased. Moreover, several recent outbreaks of human gastroenteritis have been linked to the consumption of contaminated seafood. Investigation of seafood-borne illnesses caused by norovirus, and Vibrio, and other bacteria and viruses require a concrete knowledge about the pathogenicity and virulence properties of the etiologic agents. This review explores pathogens that have been associated with seafood and resulting outbreaks in the U.S. and other countries as well as the presence of antimicrobial resistance in the reviewed pathogens. The spectrum of such resistance is widening due to the overuse, misuse, and sub-therapeutic application of antimicrobials in humans and animals.