In the European Union, the classification of shellfish harvesting areas depends on levels of Escherichia coli checked in shellfish flesh and determines whether post-harvest treatment required before shellfish can be sold for human consumption. Nevertheless, intermittent sources of contamination, such as rainfall and runoff from agricultural and urban lands, may give rise to seasonal variations of E. coli concentration, hence an annual classification could not be correct. In this study, we investigated the microbial trend in clams (Chamelea gallina) harvested from the district of San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy. The Algaeadria database, a monitoring network for the whole Adriatic area, provided results from 2005 to 2012. E. coli values compliant and non-compliant with food safety criteria were evaluated by graphical data analysis tools and one-tailed Fisher’s exact test. The results showed a clear general seasonal trend and, in one of the considered areas, the non-compliant values from July to February were significantly lower than those from March to June (P<0.05). These findings may scientifically support a seasonal classification.

Official controls of fishery products include visual inspection to detect visible parasites. This work is intended to be a report of the parasitic controls in anchovies (Engraulis enchrasicolus) sampled in the fish market in San Benedetto del Tronto (AP, Marche), caught in the middle Adriatic Sea from July 2005 to October 2006. Out of 5696 observed anchovies, 326 (5.72%)were infested with anisakidae larvae: 273 (4.79%) with Anisakis larvae, 70 (1.23%) with Hysterothylacium larvae and 17 (0.3 %) with both genera. Fishes over130 mm long showed to be more infested and a positive trend of infestation depending on fish size was statistically detected. Parasites showed a seasonal distribution, with higher prevalence in May and October. These findings do not totally agree with previous results of other authors

Bivalve molluscs represent an important source of cadmium exposure in humans, in particular oysters, because of their high filter feeding capability and high concentration of metal-binding metallothionein in tissues. In this study the authors investigated the difference in cadmium bioaccumulation in European flat oysters harvested from production areas in the district of San Benedetto del Tronto (Ascoli Piceno province, Italy), as a function of their origin (farming or natural beds) and the time of gathering. The beds lie 3 nm off-shore at a depth of 20-40 m and are collected by dredging. In the farms, baskets are suspended in the water column 2.5-3 nm offshore at a depth of 4 m. The authors analysed the results of cadmium monitoring plan carried out in oyster natural beds for a total of 15 samples collected from 2004 to 2012 and in two oyster farms for a total of 11 samples from 2009 to 2012. Although the few data did not allow to find a significant statistical association, they suggested two findings: i) cadmium concentration in oysters from natural beds seemed to be lower than in farmed oysters; and ii) in farmed oysters cadmium concentration even exceeded allowed maximum level for human consumption, in particular in autumn. The vertical stratification in the water column of phytoplankton and a cadmium dilution at oyster gonadal maturation might cause changes in oyster cadmium accumulation.

Assessment of wet weather impact on clam (Chamelea gallina) faecal contamination in the district of San Benedetto del Tronto (Italy)