Emerging threat of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in fish - now in 4 languages
Upon detection of the Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in freshwater fish in several countries in Asia, FAO published a risk profile to raise awareness about the threat.
Masami Takeuchi, FAO Food Safety Officer, said many people aren’t aware of the risks associated with consuming raw freshwater fish, which is very common in Southeast Asia. “But the disease this practice can cause can be serious, though not always obvious, nor immediate, and in some cases that can make it difficult to diagnose and treat in time,” Takeuchi said.
Outside of Singapore where the first large-scale outbreak from consumption of raw fish has been reported, invasive GBS ST283 disease is found various places in Asia. Researchers are also looking into the countries beyond the region, including Africa, Europe and North and South America to conduct numerous typing studies, as it is possible that GBS ST283 cases have been extremely under-reported. To achieve further outreach, FAO has published the relevant documents in a total of four languages: English, Spanish, Chinese and Portuguese. They can be downloaded from the below links.
Risk profile
- Risk profile – Group B Streptococcus (GBS) – Streptococcus agalactiae sequence type (ST) 283 in freshwater fish
- Perfil de riesgo – Estreptococo del grupo B (EGB) / Streptococcus agalactiae tipo de secuencia (ST) 283 en pescado de agua dulce
- Perfil de risco - Streptococcus do Grupo B (GBS)/Streptococcus agalactiae com tipo de sequência (ST) 283 em peixes de água doce
- 风险概述 – B组链球菌(GBS)/淡水鱼中的ST283型无乳链球菌
Factsheet
- Invasive disease linked to raw freshwater fish
- Enfermedad invasiva relacionada con pescado de agua dulce crudo
- Doença invasiva associada a ingestão de peixes de água doce crus fish
- 风险概述 - 淡水鱼中的 B 组链球菌 (GBS) 序列型 (ST) 283
Previous news article is available here.
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