Evaluation of the Bacteriological Quality of a Shellfish-growing Area in Kamak Bay, Korea

Evaluation of the Bacteriological Quality of a Shellfish-growing Area in Kamak Bay, Korea

The sanitary quality of a shellfish-growing area in Kamak Bay, Korea, was assessed through a bacteriological examination of seawater and oysters from January 2004 to December 2006. From seawater samples collected at 28 stations, the range of geometric mean (GM) and the estimated 90th percentile for most-probable-number (MPN) values of fecal coliforms were <1.8-2.4 MPN/100 mL and 1.8-6.0 MPN/100 mL, respectively. The observed fecal coliform GM and the estimated 90th percentile did not exceed the fecal coliform water quality standards of 14 MPN/100 mL and 43 MPN/100 mL. Therefore, the bacteriological quality of seawater at this shellfish-growing area met the Korean Shellfish Sanitation Program (KSSP) criteria for a growing area used for export. The range of the fecal coliform GM and the estimated 90th percentile MPN values of oyster samples were 19.2-160 MPN/100 g and 20.2-166.9 MPN/100 g, respectively, and the range of the viable cell count was 30-1900 CFU/g. Thus, the fecal coliform value for the oysters and the viable cell count were less than the current shellfish quality standards of 230 MPN/100 g and 50,000 CFU/g, respectively. The bacteriological quality of the oysters complied with the criteria for domestic use and export of shellfish.