A role of some food arthropods as vectors of human enteric infections

Arthropods are very important organisms in the environment in relation to transmission of pathogenic infections to humans. The information on transmission of pathogenic infections to people by commercially offered food arthropods is scant. Consumption of seafood is a very popular dietary habit around the world. Whereas shrimp are the most commonly consumed seafood item, crabmeat has recently become a very popular commercial product, specifically for a majority of European countries. The transmission of waterborne protozoan parasites is facilitated by consumption of seafood harvested from contaminated waters, drinking water or via contact with recreational and surface waters, and remains common throughout the developing as well as the developed world. Protozoan infections pose a significant health risk for immunocompetent individuals, and may cause life-threatening diseases among immunocompromised and immunosuppressed individuals. The transmissive stages of human protozoan parasites are small in size and are shed in large numbers in feces of infected people and animals. These pathogens are resistant to environmental stressors (sometimes even to chlorine disinfection), and only a few of them (e. g., Cryptosporidium oocysts, Giardia cysts, or Vibrio bacteria) are able to cause infection in seafood consumers.