Fish, Tilapia, and Shigellosis: A review

Foodborne diseases are considered a relevant issue in health around the world due to their incidence, mortality and negative effects on the economic and productive sector. Fish is considered a food of high nutritional quality, being of global production, distribution and commercialization mainly for human consumption. Among the fish worldwide obtained from capture fisheries and mainly aquaculture for human consumption is Tilapia, due to the adaptability of this fish under cultivation conditions in addition to the fact that its meat is of quality and accessible economic value. Fish due to its composition, is highly susceptible to deterioration and contamination by different hazards throughout the food chain, putting the safety of products and public health at risk. Shigellosis is among the diseases that may be contracted from the consumption of food contaminated by bacteria of the genus Shigella spp.; food contamination is mainly related to inadequate or non-hygienic conditions and practices in the production, processing and handling of food. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide a general perspective of foodborne diseases, especially shigellosis, causal agents, conditioning factors, related foods such as fish, as well as control and preventive actions in order to protect the food safety and public health. Key words: Food pathogens, food safety, food microbiology, enterobacteria, fisheries, aquaculture.