No abstract

No abstract

This study was conducted to develop a proficiency test (PT) specimen for the enumeration of Escherichia coli, a sanitary indicative bacterium, in molluscan bivalve shellfish. The common mussel Mytilus edulis was chosen as a matrix for the PT specimen. Mussels were artificially bioaccumulated for approximately 3 h with E. coli culture. After determining the homogeneity of samples, samples were distributed to 17 participants involved in the proficiency testing program. The enumeration of E. coli was performed by the most probable number method of the American Public Health Association. Statistical evaluations of the results obtained from inter-and intra-laboratory variation indicated no significant differences in the accuracy of these techniques between participants, indicating z-scores of ≤±2 and suggesting that preparation of the PT specimen for enumerating E coli in shellfish was successful.

The genus Hapalochlaena, including the blue-lined octopus Hapalochlaena fasciata (H. fasciata), is highly toxic. Venomous, blue-lined octopuses were recently found in Korea, but their toxicity, toxin composition, and distribution remain largely unknown. Here we estimated the geographic distribution of the organisms along the Korean coast and clarified their toxicity. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) was present in all three specimens of H. fasciata examined, although the toxicity varied largely between individuals. The mean TTX concentration in the whole body of the three specimens was 6.5 ± 2.2 μg/g (range 3.3–8.5 μg/g). Among the body parts examined, the salivary glands exhibited the highest concentration (22.4 ± 9.7 μg/g). From 2012 to 2021, 26 individuals were obtained nearly every month from different regions of the Korean coast. A non-fatal case of a blue-lined octopus bite was reported along the Korean coast in June 2015. This is the first report on the widespread distribution of blue-lined octopuses on the Korean coast and TTX detection. The widespread distribution of the TTX-bearing H. fasciata along the Korean coast within the temperate zone indicates that the species may soon become a serious health issue in Korea. The toxicity of this species is also a potentially significant human health risk.

No abstract