Live eels and processed fish products from Malaysia are routinely checked for microbial pathogens before export to Japan. The eels and water from the ponds are screened for Vibrio cholerae and Salmonella spp, whereas the processed fish products are tested for microbial contamination (aerobic plate count), coliforms, E. coil and Vibrio cholerae. Results showed that live eels and water samples were negative for Vibrio cholerae but Salmonella spp were isolated occasionally. Various types of processed fish products had counts below 1.0 x 10(5) whilst coliforms, E. coli and Vibrio cholerae were absent. Records available showed that procedures involved in the production and transportation of live eel, preparation and processing of fish products have resulted in relatively safe food products.
Shewanella spp is a facultatively anaerobic, motile, gramnegative bacillus and can be found throughout the world mainly in marine environments and soil. It is a rare pathogen in human and infection by it is usually associated with underlying severe morbidities. We report a case of a 69- years old woman who presented with Shewanella putrefaciens dysentery and who was subsequently found to have underlying malignancy.