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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Microbial and Chemical Food Safety » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #424032
Research Project: Innovative Detection and Intervention Technologies Mitigating Shellfish-borne Pathogens

Location: Microbial and Chemical Food Safety

Title: Prevalence, antibiotic resistance, and control of pathogenic Shewanella in seafoods

Author
item JOHNSON, TAHIRAH - University Of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES)
item Richards, Gary
item PARVEEN, SALIMA - University Of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES)

Submitted to: Journal of Food Protection
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/24/2025
Publication Date: 2/7/2025
Citation: Johnson, T., Richards, G.P., Parveen, S. 2025. Prevalence, antibiotic resistance, and control of pathogenic Shewanella in seafoods. Journal of Food Protection. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100570.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfp.2025.100570

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Some Shewanella spp. have been classified as emerging pathogens. Shewanella algae and Shewanella putrefaciens cause soft tissue necrosis and invasive infections from marine exposure. Seafood consumption has also been linked to Shewanella-induced illnesses. This article reviewed the limited information available on the prevalence of potentially pathogenic Shewanella spp. in oysters and seawater from the United States, Italy, and Denmark as well as the antibiotic resistance profiles of isolates from widely divergent geographic locations globally. The results of previous studies suggest that Shewanella is prevalent in seafood and its surrounding environments worldwide. Studies have also shown that over time Shewanella spp. have become more resistant to ß-lactam antibiotics such as penicillin, ampicillin, and vancomycin. Furthermore, both environmental and clinical isolates have shown similar antibiotic resistance profiles. The more frequently observed antibiotic resistance profiles have involved amoxicillin, vancomycin, doxycycline, cephalexin, ampicillin, and tetracycline. This is due, in part, to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics for controlling infection in aquaculture production, farm animals, and in treating human and animal diseases leading to the development of multiple-antibiotic resistant (MAR) bacteria in seafoods and many other environments. The presence of MAR bacteria limit treatment options in the event of infection by Shewanella and other pathogenic bacteria.