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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Richard G. Lillie, MPH, Office of Food Safety and Shellfish, Washington State Department of Health, P.O. 47824, 111 Israel Road, Olympia, WA 97504, 360 236-3313, Richard.Lillie@doh.wa.gov

Since 2002, Washington has been sampling for V. parahaemolyticus tlh and tdh+ in growing area waters selected in accordance with the criteria concerning occurrences of vibriosis set forth in the Vibrio parahaemolyticus Interim Control Plan (ICP), as well as the ambient air temperature criteria set forth in the National Shellfish Sanitation Program (NSSP) Model Ordinance (MO). Graphing of the data obtained since 2002 for the growing waters sampled has yielded some positive correlations between the presence of tlh and tdh+, between both tlh and tdh+ and ambient air temperature, and between the incidence of reported confirmed cases of Vibrio parahaemolyticus-caused vibriosis and the elevated tlh and/or tdh+ and the ambient air temperature. The sampling regimen prescribed by the ICP and the MO has limited the data available, as the confirmed Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections reported have not always neatly coincided with the growing waters sampled. A further limitation on the data is the short nine-year duration of testing for the tdh+ virulence factor. An interesting phenomenon observed is the implied virulence of the tdh+ factor in the Pacific Northwest, because nowhere does the tdh+ level revealed by sampling approach the action level specified in the ICP and yet confirmed vibriosis cases and the occasional outbreak continue to occur.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, each participant will be able to

• Identify the conditions contributing to the growth of Vibrio parahaemolyticus;
• Describe the relationships among temperature, V. parahaemolyticus presence (tlh), the virulence factor (tdh+), and vibriosis cases;
• Recognize regional differences in V. parahaemolyticus virulence.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation