Faecal bacteria in Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) (Mollusca: Bivalvia) for biomonitoring coastal waters and seafood quality

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Evaluation of seafood quality market in Baixada Santista/SP

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

O setor pesqueiro em Portugal - relato de caso

Interviews were conducted with scientific researchers and process industries, bibliographic research and observational technical visits to collect information about the portuguese fishery sector. The relevance of this sector derives essentially from the fact that fish is a key component of food and responsible for large number of jobs within the Portuguese population. With the reduction in catches due to the decline in world's fish stocks the government has encouraged actions of ecological nature to promote the sector sustainability. Actually, the decline in the market expression facilitates the entry of stranger companies from others countries. Entrepreneurs must increase the productivity and provide quality assured products in order to achieve the export market.

The use of stable isotopes for authentication of gadoid fish species

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Acute neuromuscular manifestations in a patient associated with ingesting octopus (Octopus sp.)

Os autores relatam um quadro manifestado por sintomas neurológicos e musculares em uma mulher de 45 anos, que surgiu após o consumo da carne de polvo comum (Octopus sp.). A paciente apresentou intenso mal estar, parestesias em extremidades e área perioral, fraqueza muscular intensa e hipotensão arterial, seguidos de prurido importante e uma erupção eritêmato-descamativa disseminada tardia. Não foram observadas manifestações gastrintestinais ou febre, o que reduziu a probabilidade de uma intoxicação alimentar por conservação inadequada do molusco. A presença de sintomas neuro-musculares é sugestiva de ação de neurotoxinas, comprovadamente existentes em muitos gêneros de polvos e que podem ter sido ingeridas através do consumo das glândulas salivares ou acúmulo das toxinas na carne, por algum mecanismo ainda desconhecido. As toxinas dos polvos do gênero Octopus são pouco estudadas e julgamos esta comunicação importante por alertar para a possibilidade do envenenamento nos seres humanos que consomem carne de polvos e ainda sua diferenciação das intoxicações alimentares que ocorrem por conservação inadequada do animal.

Microbiological quality of ice used to refrigerate foods

Ice used for human consumption or to refrigerate foods can be contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms and may become a vehicle for human infection. To evaluate the microbiological content of commercial ice and ice used to refrigerate fish and seafood, 60 ice samples collected at six different retail points in the city of Araraquara, SP, Brazil, were studied. The following parameters were determined: total plate counts (37° C and 4° C), most probable number (MPN) for total coliforms, fecal coliforms and Escherichia coli, presence of Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Yersinia spp., E. coli, Vibrio cholerae and Aeromonas spp.. Results suggested poor hygienic conditions of ice production due to the presence of indicator micro-organisms. Fifty strains of E. coli of different serotypes, as well as one Y. enterocolitica biotype 1, serogroup 0:5, 27 and phage type Xz (Ye 1/05,27/Xz) and one Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 1 (PT1) were isolated. Aeromonas spp., Shigella spp. and V. cholerae were not detected. The presence of high numbers of coliforms, heterotrophic indicator micro-organisms and pathogenic strains suggested that commercial ice and ice used to refrigerate fish and seafood may rep resent a potential hazard to the consumer in our community. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diphyllobothriasis, Brazil

Cases of human diphyllobothriasis have been reported worldwide. Only 1 case in Brazil was diagnosed by our institution from January 1998 to December 2003. By comparison, 18 cases were diagnosed from March 2004 to January 2005. All patients who became infected ate raw fish in sushi or sashimi.

Avaliação da qualidade microbiológica do gelo utilizado na conservação de pescado

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Características microbiológicas de salmão (Salmo salar) comercializado em algumas cidades da região nordeste do estado de São Paulo

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Coliform density in oyster culture waters and its relationship with environmental factors

The objective of this work was to evaluate the total and thermotolerant coliform densities in the oyster culture water of Cananeia, SP, Brazil, correlating these densities with environmental variables and tidal variations. Superficial water samples were collected in two tide conditions (spring and neap) from three areas of Cananéia municipality (Mandira, Itapitangui and Cooperostra). The three studied areas showed good conditions for the culture regarding coliform densities. The two tidal conditions differed significantly as to total coliform concentration; however, the same procedure was not performed for thermotolerant coliforms. No correlation was observed between water temperature, pH, and concentrations of total and thermotolerant coliforms. Coliform density was positively correlated with rainfall and negatively correlated with salinity. Spring and neap tides differed significantly as to coliform number. Simple diagnosis of environmental conditions of the crop fields is insufficient to assess water quality of shellfish cultivation. A continuous monitoring program of planted areas is necessary both for the assessment of water quality potential for marine culture and for ensuring safe consumption of seafood, besides constituting an important tool to understand the relationships between contamination and the involved environmental variables.

Qualidade microbiológica de peixes e frutos do mar em Botucatu, SP

whole world. The world production of fish is around 100 million tons/year and 70% of them is destined exclusively to the human feeding. The fish and derived have a great importance in the human diet, contributing with ¼ of offer of protein of animal origin. Sseafood and fish are health, because they are rich in proteins, vitamins, micronutrients and insatured fats. However, one of the most important themes, in public health, refers to the safe food. Only in the USA, 76 million case of foodborne diseases occurs every year, with 325 thousand hospitalized and 5 thousand deaths. According to the microbiological parameters, the Brazilian Food Sanitation Standard (Decree No. 12, 2001) defined that fish, roes of fish, crustaceans and mollusks in natura cooled or frozen, no consumed raw should present up to 103 MPN of coagulase positive Staphylococcus in the absence of Salmonella in 25g. Based on this, this work verified the microbiological quality of fish and seafood retailed in supermarkets and fish store in Botucatu city. A hundred samples were analyzed, being 65 frozen (65%) and 35 cooled (35%). The samples included various kinds of fish and seafood. Among the frozen samples, 31 were fish and 34 seafood. About the cooled ones, 28 were fish and 7 seafood. The methods used for analysis are in agreement with APHA (2001). The samples were acquired in 4 establishments (3 supermarkets and a fish store). Ina total of 100 samples, all were negative to coagulase positive Staphylococcus and 2 were positive for Salmonella (2%). According to the results, we conclude that the presence of Salmonella is a risk factor for the consumers' health and these foods should not be consumed raw. In spite of the freezing to be a good conservation way, this process doesn't totally eliminate the pathogens of the food