The consumption of shellfish has increased considerably worldwide, with an associated increase in foodborne illnesses. Among the bivalves, the mussels are usually cooked by steam, which constitutes a typical dish in several regions. In this article, we demonstrate that this preparation is not sufficient to destroy completely the infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum. Oocysts recovered from experimentally contaminated mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were infectious to neonatal mice after cooking. Although, to date, no official cases of cryptosporidiosis linked to shellfish consumption have been reported, we recommend that people with reduced immunity avoid this type of food because they are at high risk of being infected with Cryptosporidium spp. after eating raw or undercooked contaminated bivalves.
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Research Article|
April 01 2006
Cooking Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) by Steam Does Not Destroy the Infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum
HIPÓLITO GÓMEZ-COUSO;
HIPÓLITO GÓMEZ-COUSO
1Laboratorio de Parasitología, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain
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FERNANDO MÉNDEZ-HERMIDA;
FERNANDO MÉNDEZ-HERMIDA
1Laboratorio de Parasitología, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain
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JOSÉ ANTONIO CASTRO-HERMIDA;
JOSÉ ANTONIO CASTRO-HERMIDA
1Laboratorio de Parasitología, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain
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ELVIRA ARES-MAZÁS
ELVIRA ARES-MAZÁS
*
1Laboratorio de Parasitología, Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain
2Instituto de Acuicultura, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña, Spain
* Author for correspondence. Tel: +34981563100, Ext 14890; Fax: +34981593316; E-mail: mpeares@usc.es.
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J Food Prot (2006) 69 (4): 948–950.
Article history
Received:
May 13 2005
Accepted:
November 01 2005
Citation
HIPÓLITO GÓMEZ-COUSO, FERNANDO MÉNDEZ-HERMIDA, JOSÉ ANTONIO CASTRO-HERMIDA, ELVIRA ARES-MAZÁS; Cooking Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) by Steam Does Not Destroy the Infectivity of Cryptosporidium parvum. J Food Prot 1 April 2006; 69 (4): 948–950. doi: https://doi.org/10.4315/0362-028X-69.4.948
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