Publication Abstract

Determination of the relationship between faecal indicator concentrations and the presence of human pathogenic micro-organisms in shellfish

Determination of the relationship between faecal indicator concentrations and the presence of human pathogenic micro-organisms in shellfish

By R.J Lee and A.D Younger

Under the Shellfish Hygiene Directive (91/492/EEC), shellfish harvesting areas are classified according to the degree of contamination with Escherichia coli. The classification is deemed to represent the degree of risk of contamination with pathogenic micro-organisms and determines the degree of treatment to which the shellfish must be subjected prior to consumption. Previous published work has not shown a significant relationship between the presence or absence of the pathogen Salmonella and the concentration of E. coli in individual samples. The relationship of class and geometric mean E. coli concentration of harvesting areas, and E. coli results for individual samples, was investigated with respect to the presence or absence of Salmonella in those samples. Results obtained using both exploratory analysis and multiple logistic regression are presented. The potential use of the techniques for other faecal pollution indicators and pathogens is discussed.

Reference:

RJ Lee and AD Younger. 2003. Determination of the relationship between faecal indicator concentrations and the presence of human pathogenic micro-organisms in shellfish. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Molluscan Shellfish Safety 247-252pp

RJ Lee* and AD Younger*

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Molluscan Shellfish Safety 247-252pp