Vibrio vulnificus and Indicator Bacteria in Shellstock and Commercially Processed Oysters from the Gulf Coast

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Fifty-one interstate shipments of shellstock oysters were sampled at processing plants and examined bacteriologically for Vibrio vulnificus, fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, and standard plate count. The occurrence of V. vulnificus in the oysters was seasonal with low numbers during the winter and levels frequently exceeding 110,000/g during the summer. The numbers of V. vulnificus correlated (p < 0.01) with fecal coliform levels in the oysters and with water temperatures in the harvest areas. Normal commercial processing did not significantly (p > 0.05) reduce the levels of V. vulnificus or indicator bacteria in the oyster meats. However, storage of the processed meats in containers packed on ice usually produced a one-log and two-log unit reduction in numbers of V. vulnificus after 3 and 7 d, respectively.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: