Contamination of seafood by Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Taiwan
: From October 1984 to September 1985, a total of 770 seafood samples, collected from the retail markets of 8 coastal cities in Taiwan, were tested for the contamination of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The results showed that 352 samples (45.7%) were contaminated by V. parahaemolyticus. The detection frequencies of various samples were as follows: 40.0% fish samples, 22.3% fish fillets, 44.4% shrimps and 47.8% crabs of the crustacea group, 68.7% bivalve shellfish and 31.9% non-bivalve shellfish of the mollusca group. Bivalve shellfish samples showed the highest detection frequency and counts. By the analysis of variance, cities and sample items affected the detection frequency and counts of V. parahaemolyticus. Positive statistical correlation was found between the counts of V. parahaemolyticus and temperature variation in some cities, whereas the detection frequency of V. parahaemolyticus was not relative to the temperature variation in each city. 182 isolates from different types of seafood reacted with K antisera. Of those serotypes, K17 showed the highest detection frequency in the serological test. All of our isolates showed negative reaction for the Kanagawa test.