Uptake of bacteriophage and their subsequent survival in edible West Coast crabs after processing

Edible West Coast crabs (Cancer magister and Cancer antennarius), when in seawater contaminated with coliphage T4, were found to accumulate high titers of this virus. To study the extent of the hazard presented by crabs contaminated with virus, samples of edible crabs were contaminated with coliphage T4 and then processed by boiling. Results indicated that virus in crabs withstood this method of processing. The survival rate varied from 2.5 to 20%, depending upon the processing time. Heat penetration studies showed that, although internal temperature in the crabs was sufficient to inactivate virus, the processing times normally used to cook crabs were not. These results suggest that processed crabs could serve as vectors for the dissemination of virus diseases if the crabs are harvested from a polluted area.