Abstract
OBJECTIVESRecently kudoa septempuctata in olive flounders is suggested as a cause of food poisoning, however whether kudoa septempuctata can affect human gastrointestinal systems is controversial and its pathogenecity remains unclear. In view of the field epidemiology, food poisonings caused by kudoa septempuctata should be distinguished from those caused by Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus. METHODSThe statistics of food poisoning investigations published by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2013-2015 were reviewed. The characteristics of kudoa septempuctata food poisoning reported by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were reviewed. Information regarding clinical symptoms or epidemiology was extracted.RESULTSTotal eleven kudoa septempuctata food poisoning cases were analyzed. Food poisonings caused by kudoa septempuctata, Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus have clinical and epidemiological similarities. Forty five percent of food poisoning outbreaks occurred in Korea was concluded as unknown. The food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus accounted for 4.5% (50/1,092) of all food poisoning outbreaks in Korea between 2013 and 2015. CONCLUSIONSThis study suggests the possibilities of misdiagnosis in the investigations of food poisoning by Staphylococcus aureus and bacillus cereus with kudoa septempuctata.
Highlights
Foodborne outbreaks caused by Kudoa septempunctata and the characteristics of these cases were reported by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) in its annual surveillance report
K. septempunctata has emerged as a foodborne pathogen that is associated with the consumption of olive flounder, and the national epidemiologic investigation report on foodborne illness recommends tests for K. septempunctata infection to those who eat olive flounder
Given that olive flounder is a highly favored fish in Korea, a substantial amount of olive flounder parasitized with K. septempunctata is consumed
Summary
Foodborne outbreaks caused by Kudoa septempunctata and the characteristics of these cases were reported by Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) in its annual surveillance report. K. septempunctata has recently been considered as a human pathogen since it was first identified in olive flounders This parasite was identified as a causative agent of food poisoning by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan in December 2012, and its pathogenesis was studied in an experiment using 4 to 5-day old mice [3,4]. Other mice studies had conflicting results [5], and studies on humans have not been reported with regard to this new species. Based on these grounds, Chung et al [6] recently suggested that epidemiologic causality between K. septempunctata and food poisoning lacks scientific validity
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