Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Major Foodborne Pathogens in Imported Seafood

Seafood is a leading commodity implicated in foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States. Seafood importation rose dramatically in the past 3 decades and now contributes to more than 80% of the total U.S. seafood supply. However, limited data are available on the microbiological safety of imported seafood. In this study, we obtained a total of 171 salmon, shrimp, and tilapia samples imported from 12 countries in three retail stores in Baton Rouge, LA. The total microbial population and the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibilities of six major foodborne-pathogen genera (Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, and Vibrio) were determined. The aerobic plate counts (APC) for the 171 samples averaged 4.96 log CFU/g, with samples from Chile carrying the highest mean APC of 6.53 log CFU/g and fresh samples having a significantly higher mean APC than frozen ones (P 7 log CFU/g). By culture,...