Definitions
Case Series - study of sporadic cases of similar illness occurring over a period of time.
Depuration - the process of reducing pathogenic organisms that may be present in shellfish using a controlled aquatic environment, such as land-based tanks, as the treatment process.
Dose - the number of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus consumed in oysters at one sitting.
Dose-response - the relationship of the levels of V. parahaemolyticus ingested with the frequency and magnitude of illness.
Gastroenteritis - inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract; symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal cramps, caused by an infecting organism which is present in feces.
Raw molluscan shellfish - raw (uncooked) oysters, clams, and mussels.
Outbreak - the occurrence of similar illness involving 2 or more persons not from the same household resulting from the ingestion of a common food.
Relaying - the process of reducing pathogenic organisms or deleterious substances that may be present in shellfish using the ambient environment as the treatment process, by transferring shellfish from a growing area classified as restricted or conditionally restricted to a growing area classified as approved or conditionally approved.
Sensitive subpopulation - group of people with greater vulnerability to more severe Vibrio parahaemolyticus disease (i.e., septicemia) as a result of some underlying state of compromised health, such as liver disease, blood disorder, or immunodeficiency.
Septicemia - a systemic disease associated with the presence and persistence of pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins in the blood.
Thermostable direct hemolysin - a toxin produced by Vibrio parahaemolyticus that lyses red blood cells in Wagatsuma agar.
Thermostable-related hemolysin - a toxin very similar in action and characteristics to, but genetically distinct from the thermostable direct hemolysin.
CFSAN - Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
GCSL - FDA Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory, Dauphin Island
ICP - ISSC/FDA Interim Control Plan for monitoring levels of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in oysters at time of harvest
ISSC - Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference
MSI - Molluscan Shellfish Industry
NACMCF - National Advisory Committee for the Microbiological Criteria for Foods
NERR - National Estuarine Reserve Sites program
NBDC - National Buoy Data Center
NMFS- National Marine Fisheries Services
NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOS - National Ocean Services
NSSP - National Shellfish Sanitation Program for control of Vibrio vulnificus
PCSGA - Pacific Coast Shellfish Growers Association
RAC - Risk Assessment Consortium
STORET - Storage and Retrieval of U.S. Waterways Parametric Data database
g - grams
HGMF procedure - Hydrophobic Grid Membrane Filtration procedure
h - hours
KP+ - Kanagawa-positive
min - minute
ml – milliliters
MLE - Maximum likelihood estimates
MPN - most probable number
/g - per gram
ppt - parts per thousand
TDH - thermostable direct hemolysin
TRH - thermostable-related hemolysin
Vp - V. parahaemolyticus
Vppath - pathogenic strains of V. parahaemolyticus
Hypertext updated by bap/kwg/dms 2001-JAN-30