title: Quantitative modeling for risk assessment of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in bloody clams in southern Thailand.
abstract: A risk assessment of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in bloody clams (Anadara granosa) consumed in southern Thailand was conducted. This study estimated the prevalence and concentration of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in bloody clams at harvest and retail stages; and during this process, methods to detect the total and pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus were investigated. Consumption of bloody clams and cooking efficiency were studied using interviews and on-site observation of consumers. A beta-Poisson dose-response model was used to estimate probability of illness applying estimation methods for the most likely parameter values presented by USFDA. Microbial and behavioral data were analyzed by developing a stochastic model and the simulation gave a mean number of times a person would get ill with V. parahaemolyticus by consuming bloody clams at 5.6 x 10(-4)/person/year. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the fraction of people who did not boil the clams properly was the primary factor in increasing risk. This study serves as an example of how a microbiological risk assessment with limited data collection and international cooperation leads to valuable local insight.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Disease Research Division, Hyogo Prefectural Institute of Public Health and Environmental Sciences, 2-1-29 Arata-cho, Hyogo-ku, Kobe 652-0032, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Jun'ichiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Iwahori
authors.forename: Varaporn
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vuddhakul
authors.forename: Wilawan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Charernjiratragul
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vose
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Osaka
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shigematsu
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toyofuku
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Mitsuaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishibuchi
authors.forename: Fumiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kasuga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000382:microbiology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012758:Shellfish / Q000382:microbiology*; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D013785:Thailand; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D014736:Vibrio parahaemolyticus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity