ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews emphasizes the epidemiology of the principal recorded illnesses resulting from infectious agents and chemical toxins. Illnesses associated with the consumption of molluscan shellfish are caused by infectious agents, chemical toxins, and allergies. Several factors contribute to the role of mollusks as vehicles in the transmission of illness caused by bacteria and viruses. Mollusks are harvested primarily from estuarine and near-coastal environments, and these areas are generally contaminated, to varying degrees, with human waste. As filter feeders, mollusks concentrate potential viral or bacterial pathogens present in seawater. Humans characteristically eat the entire mollusk, including the gastrointestinal tract where pathogens are concentrated. Because shellfish are frequently eaten raw or only partially cooked, viable pathogens may he introduced to the human alimentary tract. Symptomatic molluscan-borne infections in humans may present themselves in one or more clinical syndromes. Allergic reactions can occur to all classes of seafoods, including fishes, mollusks, and crustacea.
