Abstract
It should be noted, the purpose of all investigations which contributed to this Thesis were conducted to identify if zoonotic pathogens were entering Australia in or on imported fishery products (FP). There was no intention to disadvantage an exporting nation. For this reason, any auxiliary tables, figures, fish species names, country descriptions, other names or citations that may lead to the identification of an included country have been omitted from all manuscripts. Fishery products in the literature review of this Thesis may include finfish, bivalves, molluscs or processed products containing finfish, bivalves, molluscs. Pathogens if referred to are zoonotic bacteria and parasites. Finfish only were examined for zoonotic bacteria and zoonotic/non- zoonotic parasites in the experimental chapters of this Thesis. In Australia, there is great reliance on imported edible FP to meet consumers demand. Therefore, verifying the safety of the imported product is extremely important. Australia’s biosecurity is considered exemplary. However, due to the rapid progression of global change,
inclusive of higher temperatures in the marine and freshwater environments, the intense cultivation of aquatic food species and the rapid transport of fresh FP around the globe, unprecedented pressure has been placed on Australian biosecurity to adapt policy and procedures to ensure imported edible FP are safe (~71 million kilograms imported to Australia in 2000 and ~191 million kilograms in 2022). Zoonotic bacteria contaminating the musculature or outer surface of fresh and chilled FP or zoonotic bacterial species which survive freezing may cause mild to severe or life-threatening illness in humans if consumed. The international trade in FP has been identified as an important disseminator of antimicrobial resistant strains of zoonotic bacteria into regions where they were previously unrecognised. This has clear and serious implications for human health in Australia. Many imported fresh, chilled and improperly frozen FP also have potential to harbour zoonotic parasites which are a human health concern. Anisakis simplex, a zoonotic FP borne nematode, has allergens which are
resistant to heating, canning and freezing processes. Canned/and or blended-processed FP are therefore a risk for consumers developing allergic anisakiasis which exhibits as urticaria or anaphylaxis. These canned/and or blended-processed FP often use fish offcuts which are removed from fish because they are most vulnerable to contamination with larval A. simplex. This clearly increases the transmission opportunities of Anisakis allergens to consumers and
multiplies the allergic anisakiasis risk. At present, no additional tests are applied to imported FP for zoonotic parasites. Visual inspection of the imported FP may be conducted however, as a tool this is inadequate to identify microscopic parasites or parasite allergens. Some imported processed fish, considered a higher risk to human health (‘risk’ FP), are tested for zoonotic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes and shellfish, bivalves and cooked crustacea are tested for
several species of zoonotic bacteria. Most cultured freshwater FP, despite many of these FP originating from countries with an extremely low score for water quality and sanitation, are not tested for zoonotic bacteria on entry into Australia. There is no doubt that aquaculture production and lesser value FP are important in establishing global food security. There is also no doubt that the average Australian consumer has significant reliance on imported edible FP
such as basa, tilapia, canned tuna and other processed FP. However, safety of imported FP must be carefully considered and given equal importance to the facilitation of trade between countries. Therefore, the overall aim of the thesis was to identify if FP imported into Australia have the potential to be infected with zoonotic bacterial, zoonotic parasitic pathogens or nonzoonotic parasites whilst conducting this research within the legal confines of global trade
agreements, the ‘General Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures’,
‘The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade’ and ‘The Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement’ which Australia is signatory to.
inclusive of higher temperatures in the marine and freshwater environments, the intense cultivation of aquatic food species and the rapid transport of fresh FP around the globe, unprecedented pressure has been placed on Australian biosecurity to adapt policy and procedures to ensure imported edible FP are safe (~71 million kilograms imported to Australia in 2000 and ~191 million kilograms in 2022). Zoonotic bacteria contaminating the musculature or outer surface of fresh and chilled FP or zoonotic bacterial species which survive freezing may cause mild to severe or life-threatening illness in humans if consumed. The international trade in FP has been identified as an important disseminator of antimicrobial resistant strains of zoonotic bacteria into regions where they were previously unrecognised. This has clear and serious implications for human health in Australia. Many imported fresh, chilled and improperly frozen FP also have potential to harbour zoonotic parasites which are a human health concern. Anisakis simplex, a zoonotic FP borne nematode, has allergens which are
resistant to heating, canning and freezing processes. Canned/and or blended-processed FP are therefore a risk for consumers developing allergic anisakiasis which exhibits as urticaria or anaphylaxis. These canned/and or blended-processed FP often use fish offcuts which are removed from fish because they are most vulnerable to contamination with larval A. simplex. This clearly increases the transmission opportunities of Anisakis allergens to consumers and
multiplies the allergic anisakiasis risk. At present, no additional tests are applied to imported FP for zoonotic parasites. Visual inspection of the imported FP may be conducted however, as a tool this is inadequate to identify microscopic parasites or parasite allergens. Some imported processed fish, considered a higher risk to human health (‘risk’ FP), are tested for zoonotic bacteria Listeria monocytogenes and shellfish, bivalves and cooked crustacea are tested for
several species of zoonotic bacteria. Most cultured freshwater FP, despite many of these FP originating from countries with an extremely low score for water quality and sanitation, are not tested for zoonotic bacteria on entry into Australia. There is no doubt that aquaculture production and lesser value FP are important in establishing global food security. There is also no doubt that the average Australian consumer has significant reliance on imported edible FP
such as basa, tilapia, canned tuna and other processed FP. However, safety of imported FP must be carefully considered and given equal importance to the facilitation of trade between countries. Therefore, the overall aim of the thesis was to identify if FP imported into Australia have the potential to be infected with zoonotic bacterial, zoonotic parasitic pathogens or nonzoonotic parasites whilst conducting this research within the legal confines of global trade
agreements, the ‘General Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures’,
‘The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade’ and ‘The Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement’ which Australia is signatory to.
Original language | English |
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Qualification | Doctor of Philosophy |
Awarding Institution | |
Supervisors/Advisors |
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Place of Publication | Australia |
Publisher | |
Publication status | Published - 2023 |