Infections associated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus on the coast of Galicia (in northwestern Spain) were reported to be linked to large outbreaks of illness during 1999 and 2000. Little information is available about the ecological factors that influence the emergence of V. parahaemolyticus infections in this temperate region. We carried out a 3-year study to investigate the occurrence and distribution of V. parahaemolyticus at 26 sites located in the four main rias of Galicia in association with environmental and oceanographic variables. V. parahaemolyticus was detected in all the areas investigated and throughout the complete period of study with an overall incidence of 12.5%. Salinity was the primary factor governing the temporal and spatial distribution of V. parahaemolyticus, whereas seawater temperature had a secondary effect and only modulated the abundance in periods and areas of reduced salinities. Higher occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus was observed during periods of lower salinity in autumn, with a total of 61 positive samples (18%) and a mean density of 1,234 most probable number/100 g. V. parahaemolyticus was primarily detected in areas of reduced salinity close to freshwater discharge points, where it was found in up to 45% of the samples. Characterization of the isolates obtained from the study resulted in the first identification of two pathogenic tdh-positive strains of V. parahaemolyticus recovered from the marine environment in Galicia. These isolates showed serotypes identical to and DNA profiles indistinguishable from those of the clinical clone of V. parahaemolyticus dominant in infections in Spain in the last 10 years.Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a natural inhabitant of the marine environments of coastal areas and estuaries worldwide. The presence of the organism has traditionally been confined to warm and temperate geographical areas (11). However, in recent years, the emergence of infections caused by V. parahaemolyticus in remote areas of Europe and America (14,15,23,24) has revealed the presence of the organism in regions where it had never previously been reported. The progressive spread of V. parahaemolyticus and its colonization of new areas has been related to an unusual increase in seawater temperatures in coastal zones (5,15,24). However, little information is available about the environmental variables governing the dynamics of V. parahaemolyticus populations in these areas of recent emergence.V. parahaemolyticus infections were rarely reported in Europe before 1998 (2). The presence of V. parahaemolyticus was reduced to sporadic cases reported in different countries without any evidence of epidemiological connection. The epidemiology of the organism in Europe changed significantly when a large number of illnesses associated with V. parahaemolyticus were reported in Galicia (in northwestern Spain) in 1999 and 2000. Isolates obtained from the outbreaks in Galicia and from hospitals in other regions of Spain were characteristically tdh positive, serotype O4:K11, and belonged to a di...

The natural reservoirs and biological characteristics of pathogenic populations of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in marine habitats remain unclear due to difficulties in obtaining pathogenic strains from the environment. The distribution and characteristics of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus were investigated over 1 year in three coastal environments in Galicia (Spain), including areas of the major international ports in the region. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was present in 35.3% of the samples analysed, and 535 strains were isolated over the period of study. Virulence genes were detected in 94 strains with diverse genetic traits: 66 trh+/tdh-, 24 trh-/tdh+ and 4 trh+/tdh+. Different spatial and seasonal patterns were observed in relation to genetic traits. The trh+/tdh- strains were detected exclusively in northern areas and prevailed in the autumn, when seawater is warmer and less saline, whereas the trh-/tdh+ strains were found in all three areas throughout winter and spring. Characterization of potentially pathogenic strains from the environment revealed an unexpectedly diverse array of serotypes and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profiles (pulsotypes) that were unrelated to clinical strains of V. parahaemolyticus that are prevalent in Spain. The results of the current study provide a novel view of V. parahaemolyticus in Europe, in which diverse pathogenic groups are constitutive components of the environmental populations in coastal habitats.

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Global trade is mainly supported by maritime transport, which generates important pollution problems. Thus, effective surveillance and intervention means are necessary to ensure proper response to environmental emergencies. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been established as a useful tool for detecting hydrocarbon spillages on the oceans surface. Several Decision Support Systems have been based on this technology. This paper presents an automatic oil spill detection system based on SAR data which was developed on the basis of confirmed spillages and it was adapted to an important international shipping route off the Galician coast (northwest Iberian Peninsula).