In recent days, the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) confirmed that in Colombia there is a presence of the bacterium Streptococcus aglactiae ST7 serotype Ia in tilapia cultures. According to the general manager of the ICA, Juan Fernando Roa, that bacterial agent is found in fish distributed in the departments of Huila, Tolima, Magdalena and Atlántico for consumption by the population. Given this novelty, a health emergency was declared, and what happens in the human body due to the consumption of this product was explained.
In conversation with the magazine Cambio, the ICA spokesperson explained that, in reality, there are no health risks when consuming a fish that has this bacterium. “To date, the possibility of Streptococcus agalactiae ST7 serotype Ia affecting human health through contact with infected animals or consumption of tilapia has not been demonstrated (…) Streptococcus agalactiae serotype Ia, according to what the scientific literature indicates , it does not generate risk ”, commented from the Institute to the aforementioned media outlet.
In the same way, the ICA clarified that, for the moment, there is no notification, “scientific publications or reports from other official veterinary services that indicate that other species are affected.”
Previously, the Colombian Federation of Aquacultors (Fedeacua) had already warned that the consumption of tilapia from the culture that has the bacteria does not represent a risk to people’s health. “The disease from farms is not transmitted to people,” the entity said.
The same commented Dilberto Trujillo, Secretary of Agriculture of Huila. The official stressed that tilapia can continue to be consumed “in a normal manner and in complete tranquility.” “We emphasize that there is no risk to human health from the consumption of tilapia in Huila. Thus, exports continue as normal, products continue to be sent to the United States and different markets in Europe with the full guarantee that they do not represent a risk,” he said.
“A level of misinformation is being generated in the sense of what it can cause in human beings. What we have to say is that this disease is not zoonotic and does not cause any effect on human health. It must be said that we can continue consuming tilapia in a normal way and in complete peace of mind”, he added.
The cause of the outbreak, says the ICA, would be related to different factors, among them, overpopulation, high ammonium concentrations, low oxygen levels and increased PH and temperature in the water. The initial hypothesis regarding the origin of the outbreak, explained the director (e) of the ICA, Juan Fernando Roa Ortiz, would have to do with “an unauthorized, illegal import, with a possible similarity to one registered in Mexico of tilapia specimens.”
“To reduce the impact of this sanitary situation, it is important to immediately reduce stocking densities in accordance with the productive parameters established for the species, type of crop and age of the animals, as well as to strengthen biosecurity in aquaculture establishments and ensure good practices for the management and disposal of mortality”, explained the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Jhenifer Mojica Flórez, at the end of May.
“This declaration (the sanitary emergency) allows us to apply the sanitary measures that are necessary in any part of the country, depending on the existing risk, aimed at controlling and reducing fish mortality, as well as protecting national fish farming and guaranteeing safety. the country’s food supply”, the head of the Agriculture portfolio added to her speech.
It may interest you: They are falsifying this medicine to treat dementia in Colombia, denounced Invima
As the official explained, after confirming the presence of the bacteria in Colombia, biosafety measures were intensified, since that bacterial agent “had not been identified in the country.” “Skin lesions, erratic swimming and periods of inactivity were some of the characteristics discovered by the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) in fish with the presence of streptococcus,” explained Mojica Flórez. with Infobae
