The contamination of Vibrio spp. of seashell products in 5 cities of Guangxi in 2017

Objective To determine the contamination of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio cholera in seashell products. Methods Seashell samples were collected from three coastal cities and two inland cities of Guangxi in 2017. Results There were 800 samples were collected. The total positive rate of Vibrio spp. was 76.5% (612/800). The positive rate of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio cholera were 73.9% (591/800), 18.4% (147/800) and 0.1% (1/800), respectively. There was no Vibrio alginolyticus detected. For Vibrio parahaemolyticus, the positive rate was related to the samples source, samples status and the species of seashell. The positive rate in coastal areas was higher than inland areas, while the quantity was lower. Both the positive rate and quantity of Vibrio spp. in the live products were higher than fresh/chilled products. The positive rate of razor fish, mud clam, oyster and short necked clam were the highest and all above 75.0%. The positive rate of scallop and mussel was relatively low but the quantity was the highest. Around 1.0% (6/591) of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus positive samples was detected virulence genes. For the Vibrio vulnificus, the positive rate in rural areas was higher than urban areas, and coastal areas was higher than inland areas. The positive rate of razor fish and mud clam was the highest and both over 35.0%. Conclusion Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus were highly contaminated in seashell products in Guangxi. It is necessary to strengthen the health education of food safety and the surveillance of Vibrio vulnificus in coastal rural areas