Abundance of clinical enteric bacterial pathogens in coastal waters and shellfish

Influence of Environmental Factors and Human Activity on the Presence of Salmonella Serovars in a Marine Environment

“…These frequency patterns of Salmonella serovar isolates differ notably from the data obtained in the present study, where serovars Senftenberg, Typhimurium, and Agona made up 67% of the isolates. The discrepancy between serovars originating from clinical or animal sources and those from the marine environment has been observed in previous studies of the presence of salmonellae in coastal water (1,3,28) and seafood products (9,27). Assuming that the main source of Salmonella contamination in the marine environment is of human or animal origin, the different population structures may be attributed to the different rates of growth and survival of these serovars in the marine environment.…”

“…Raw foods and cross-contamination of ready-to-eat products are the main routes of Salmonella transmission (2,7). Moreover, Salmonella has been identified in marine environments (1,3,8,9,13,16,26,27,28), which are typically contaminated by rivers or storm-generated discharges (1,6,14). Salmonella that is introduced into marine environments readily contaminates the fauna, especially molluscan shellfish, which concentrate the marine microflora via filter feeding.…”

“…Salmonella that is introduced into marine environments readily contaminates the fauna, especially molluscan shellfish, which concentrate the marine microflora via filter feeding. Even in coastal areas of high Salmonella incidence, outbreaks of Salmonella associated with the consumption of seafood are uncommon, and few serovars of clinical importance are identified from those of marine origin (1,9,28). Serovars of clinical origin may not survive as well as environmental strains (16,28); this is an area that needs further study.…”

“…Even in coastal areas of high Salmonella incidence, outbreaks of Salmonella associated with the consumption of seafood are uncommon, and few serovars of clinical importance are identified from those of marine origin (1,9,28). Serovars of clinical origin may not survive as well as environmental strains (16,28); this is an area that needs further study. The sources of salmonellae are poorly understood, and this is another data gap that is critical in assessing and controlling the risk associated with the presence of salmonellae in the marine environment.…”

Detection of RTX Toxin Gene in Vibrio cholerae by PCR

“…The remaining 51 clinical isolates of O1 El Tor and O139 were isolated from Hong Kong, China; Shenzhen, China; Singapore; Thailand; and Ukraine from 1991 to 1999. In addition, five strains each of diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (three isolates of verocytotoxigenic E. coli and two isolates of enteropathogenic E. coli), Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Aeromonas species, and Plesiomonas species isolated from patients suffering from diarrhea in Hong Kong were also included for comparative study (18,19,20).…”