INTRODUCTION

Traditional control of food borne pathogens has focused on preventing the contamination of food. Because oysters acquire Vibrio vulnificus naturally, and because the health condition of the person consuming the raw oysters is the primary factor in the occurrence of infection, this bacteria cannot be evaluated or controlled in the classical sense. This organism affects a specific group of raw oyster consumers, not the general human population at large as the classical food borne pathogens do. However, because this organism is sensitive to low temperatures, rapid cooling of shellstock following harvest can impede the growth of Vibrio vulnificus in oyster shellstock, and in some cases, even reduce Vibrio vulnificus levels.

The Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference (ISSC) is a group comprised of federal and state regulators working with the molluscan shellfish industry to establish appropriate rules and guidelines for the sanitary control of oysters, clams and mussels sold for human consumption. The ISSC has been diligently working over several years to identify and implement various control measures and to educate the portion of the public at the greatest risk from oyster borne Vibrio vulnificus disease. In August 1999, the ISSC created a Vibrio Risk Management Committee that was tasked with the development of a plan to reduce the number of cases and deaths associated annually with Vibrio vulnificus disease. In July 2000, the Committee provided a suggested plan to the ISSC for adoption at ISSC's Annual Meeting held in Phoenix, Arizona.

During the course of the ISSC deliberations, both industry and state representative expressed concern about some aspects of the proposed plan. After considerable discussion, the ISSC voting delegates from its member states, by a very narrow margin, referred the proposed Vibrio Risk Management Plan back to the Vibrio Risk Management Committee. Although the state voting delegates (industry does not vote) believed that the recommended plan had merit, there were certain scientific and technical components of the plan which the delegates believed needed refinement prior to plan implementation.

The referral of the proposed Vibrio Risk Management Plan back to Committee, however, has not prevented certain components of the proposed plan from being implemented. The shellfish industry recognizes that the education of the "at-risk consumer" is critical to the reduction in the annual number of cases of Vibrio vulnificus infection. This education effort must convey two distinct messages. First, consumption of traditional raw oysters is safe and nutritious for the general population nationwide. A subset of the general population, however, because of their personal health problems (liver or other immune system diseases) may be at-risk of contracting Vibrio vulnificus disease. Second, post-harvest treatment (PHT) of oysters can provide the at-risk consumer with a less risky option for the consumption of raw oysters. The Gulf Oyster Industry Council (GOIC) supports research and development of PHT processes to reduce the threat to at-risk consumers who want to enjoy raw oysters. The GOIC also believes the informed at-risk consumers have the right to choose between eating traditional raw oysters and post-harvest treated oysters on the half shell.

The shellfish industry has committed to working vigorously with the states and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to implement the educational component of the proposed Vibrio Risk Management Plan now rather than waiting until the plan is finalized next year. Toward this end, the shellfish industry has already began campaigning for the expansion and improvement of the public education intervention programs directed at those individuals who are most susceptible to oyster-borne Vibrio vulnificus disease.

In order to measure the success of all efforts directed toward the reduction of the number of cases of Vibrio vulnificus disease occurring annually, the industry believed that it was necessary to establish a baseline against which progress could be measured. Therefore, the Gulf Oyster Industry Council commissioned a survey of the Gulf States to establish this baseline. The shellfish control agencies in the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas were surveyed to determine what control measures directed at preventing Vibrio vulnificus disease transmission were in place in these states, and what was the status of public education intervention programs addressing Vibrio vulnificus disease. The results of the survey are reported in this document.