White spot disease: Is it safe to eat infected prawns?

WHITE Spot disease has been found in some prawns farmed in southeast Queensland. With reports of 30 per cent of sampled supermarket prawns being infected you may be wondering, are they safe to eat?

WHITE spot disease or whispovirus has been detected in 30 per cent of prawns sampled from southeast Queensland supermarkets according to Four Corners.

Since there is a chance infected prawns may already be at your local supermarket you may be wondering, are they safe to eat?

White spot disease infected prawns are safe to eat as they do not pose a risk to food safety or human health.

What is white spot disease?

White spot disease is caused by the white spot syndrome virus. This virus is highly contagious to decapod crustaceans.

Where is the disease found?

White spot disease is widespread in prawn farming regions in Asia and the Americas. Australia was one of few countries in the world that remained free from the disease so far. The disease has been confirmed in several prawn farms located on the Logan River. The virus that causes the disease has also been found in some wild prawns and crabs caught in the Logan River region and Moreton Bay.

Picture: Getty Images

What to look out for when buying prawns

Although they are safe to eat, symptoms you should look out for include:

-Loose shells

-White spots or pink to red discolouration on the shell