Ocurrence of Vibrio spp., positive coagulase staphylococci and enteric bacteria in oysters (Crassostrea gigas) harvested in the south bay of Santa Catarina island, Brazil

• Main Authors: Roberta Juliano Ramos, Murilo Anderson Pereira, Letícia Adélia Miotto, Renata D'Aquino Faria, Nelson Silveira Junior, Cleide Rosana Werneck Vieira
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos 2012-09-01
• Series: Food Science and Technology
• Subjects: qualidade microbiológica; moluscos bivalves; filtradores; Escherichia coli; Vibrio parahaemolyticus; Vibrio vulnificus
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0101-20612012000300009&lng=en&tlng=en

The aim of this study was to assess the contamination of oysters (Crassostrea gigas), harvested in six different regions of the South Bay of Santa Catarina Island, with Coliforms at 45 ºC, Escherichia coli, Vibrio spp., positive coagulase staphylococci, and Salmonella sp. over a period of one year. One hundred eighty oyster samples were collected directly from their culture sites and analyzed. Each sample consisted of a pool of 12 oysters. All of the samples analyzed showed absence of Salmonella, 18 (10%) samples showed presence of Escherichia coli, 15 (8.3%) samples were positive for V. alginolyticus, and Vibriocholerae was detected in 4 samples (2.2%). The counts of positive-coagulase staphylococci varied from <10 to 1.9 x 102 CFU.g-1, whereas the counts of Coliforms at 45 ºC and E. coli ranged from <3 to 1.5 x 102 MPN.g-1 and <3 and 4.3 x 10 MPN.g-1, respectively. Counts of V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus ranged between <3 and 7 MPN.g-1, for both microorganisms. This suggests the need for monitoring these Vibrios contamination in oysters. Based on the results of the microbiological assays, the samples analyzed showed acceptable bacteriological quality, i.e., they were within the parameters established by Brazilian Legislation.