A Risk Assessment of Vibrio parahaemolyticus for Consumption of Shucked Raw Oyster in Korea

To assess the risk of V. parahaemolyticus infection caused by consumption of raw oysters in Korea, contamination levels during the retail-to-table route of oysters was modeled to predict V. parahaemolyticus growth based on temperature and time. The consumed amount data of the KNHANES and the standard recipe of the RDA were applied. A consumption scenario for exposure assessment was developed and combined with a Beta-Poisson dose-response model. The estimated probability of illness from consumption of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in raw oysters during three separate months (April, October, and November) was 5.71×10−5 (within the 5th and 95th percentile ranges of 2.714×10−8 to 1.03×10−4).The results of the quantitative microbial-risk assessment indicated that the major factors affecting the probability of illness were the initial contamination level at the retailer, the consumed amount, the prevalence of pathogenic strains [tdh or trhgenes], and exposure temperature and time.