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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Characterization and Interventions for Foodborne Pathogens » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #320652
Title: Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from retail shellfish in Shanghai

Author
item YU, QIANQIAN - Shanghai Jiaotong University
item NIU, MENGYA - Shanghai Jiaotong University
item YU, MENGQUAN - Shanghai Jiaotong University
item Liu, Yanhong
item WANG, DAPENG - Shanghai Jiaotong University
item SHI, XIANMING - Shanghai Jiaotong University

Submitted to: Food Control
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/15/2015
Publication Date: 2/1/2016
Citation: Yu, Q., Niu, M., Yu, M., Liu, Y., Wang, D., Shi, X. 2016. Prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from retail shellfish in Shanghai. Food Control. 60:263-268.

Interpretive Summary: The marine bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, causes illness in humans. V. parahaemolyticus naturally inhabits in coastal waters; it is a halophilic, or salt-requiring organism. This bacterium is frequently isolated from a variety of raw seafood, particularly shellfish. Consumption of raw or undercooked fish or shellfish contaminated with Vibrio parahaemolyticus may lead to acute gastroenteritis. V. parahaemolyticus has been reported to be resistant to a number of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of V. parahaemolyticus in Shanghai retail markets and to evaluate the antimicrobial resistance of these isolates. The pathogen was found in approximately one-third of the shellfish tested and many of the strains showed resistance to antibiotics. Our findings suggest that the consumption of raw or poorly cooked shellfish may pose a risk for consumers.

Technical Abstract: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a marine and estuarine bacterium that poses a large threat to human health worldwide. It has been the leading bacterial cause of seafood-borne illness. This study investigated the prevalence and drug resistance of V. parahaemolyticus isolated from retail shellfish in Shanghai. A total of 140 shellfish samples were collected from February 2014 to February 2015. The occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus in shellfish was 34.3%, which has increased compared to previous reports. In addition, discernible differences of total presumptive V. parahaemolyticus counts (TPVPC) were also observed in shellfish between market A and B. The results from PCR assays indicated that thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh) gene was positive in two isolates (2.1%), and the thermostable direct hemolysin-related hemolysin (trh) gene was not detected in any isolate. Antibiotic resistance profiles of the isolates were as follows: ampicillin (87.5%), cephazolin (31.3%), cephalothin (6.3%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (6.3%), piperacillin (6.3%), and amikacin (3.2%). Thirty-three out of 96 isolates were resistant to two or more antimicrobial agents. It is suggested that V. parahaemolyticus in retail shellfish could be a potential risk to consumers in Shanghai.