Despite the risk of ingesting an excessive amount of wasabi, sushi consumption is generally a safe practice. Still, being exposed to bacteria and other germs in uncooked food have the possibility to cause food poisoning, and a recently conducted study demonstrated that we should be gravely aware of these microbes.
Generally, of all seafood-related adversaries, Listeria monocytogenes is the most feared and is believed to be one of the main causes of sickness due to consumption of fish. Yet, Aeromonas, a less well-known group of bacteria, is present in many aquatic habitats and it is developing into a harmful agent that can be contracted from eating undercooked fish.
To gauge the risk Aeromonas posed, the researchers hunted for the bacteria in the raw fish products being sold in Norway. Ultimately, they discovered 22 Aeromonas strains of eight distinct species.
Hyejeong Lee, the author of the study, could not guarantee that mild processing would prevent steady growth of Aeromonas bacteria in the analyzed fish products. The variants of Aeromonas present in these products may well be a potential source of pathogens, and she highlighted various risk factors related to them.
Analyzing the various bacteria strains present in the fish, the researchers discovered a collection of genes that provides these pathogens with the ability to infect and damage host cells. Notably, there was a high incidence of enterotoxins among the strains "Most strains had several genes which code for aspects of virulence, such as binding, movement, eluding the immune system, secretory systems, and toxins,” they wrote.
It should come as no shock that Aeromonas is connected to both gastrointestinal and extraintestinal infections, considering it is caused by enterotoxins, which damage the digestive system.
The discovery made by the researchers is even more worrying, for it indicates that Aeromonas may worsen the antibiotic resistance crisis. This is for the reason that these bacteria are regularly exchanging genetic material with other sea microorganisms, and can therefore pick up and spread genes that permit them to resist antibiotics.
According to Lee, several strains of Aeromonas can transmit antibiotic resistance between distinct bacteria. This phenomenon could be spread to humans if they ingest seafood contaminated by resistant germs originating from sea creatures and their habitat.
It was discovered that all Aeromonas strains contained various AMR genes, suggesting that those circulating within the food chain potentially have the capacity to act as a source for the spread of antibiotic resistance genes to other bacteria in the same surroundings, according to the researchers.