Biological monitoring of the Texas shellfishing industry: a critical review.

Despite regulatory activities by federal and state shellfish agencies, bivalve mollusks continue to be implicated in serious outbreaks of human enteric disease. A review of the marine - biological and biomedical literature indicates that current monitoring procedures are inadequate to completely protect the consumers of clams and oysters from naturally occurring pathogenic marine Vibrio species or viruses if the shellfish are consumed in a raw or under-cooked state. It is concluded that the shellfish industry and the regulatory agencies must bear the responsibility of establishing adequate procedures to warn the public of risks associated with consumption of inadequately cooked bivalve mollusks.