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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2007, p. 5083-5087, Vol. 73, No. 16
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00375-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effectiveness of Standard UV Depuration at Inactivating Cryptosporidium parvum Recovered from Spiked Pacific Oysters (Crassostrea gigas){triangledown}

O. Sunnotel,1 W. J. Snelling,1 N. McDonough,2 L. Browne,2 J. E. Moore,3 J. S. G. Dooley,1 and C. J. Lowery1*

Centre for Molecular Biosciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA,1 Centre for Marine Resources and Mariculture (C-Mar), Queen's University Marine Laboratory, 12 The Strand, Portaferry, County Down, Northern Ireland BT22 1PF,2 Northern Ireland Public Health Laboratory, Department of Bacteriology, Belfast City Hospital, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT9 7AD3

Received 16 February 2007/ Accepted 8 June 2007

When filter-feeding shellfish are consumed raw, because of their ability to concentrate and store waterborne pathogens, they are being increasingly associated with human gastroenteritis and have become recognized as important pathogen vectors. In the shellfish industry, UV depuration procedures are mandatory to reduce pathogen levels prior to human consumption. However, these guidelines are based around more susceptible fecal coliforms and Salmonella spp. and do not consider Cryptosporidium spp., which have significant resistance to environmental stresses. Thus, there is an urgent need to evaluate the efficiency of standard UV depuration against the survival of Cryptosporidium recovered from shellfish. Our study found that in industrial-scale shellfish depuration treatment tanks, standard UV treatment resulted in a 13-fold inactivation of recovered, viable C. parvum oocysts from spiked (1 x 106 oocysts liter –1) Pacific oysters. Depuration at half power also significantly reduced (P < 0.05; ninefold) the number of viable oocysts recovered from oysters. While UV treatment resulted in significant reductions of recovered viable oocysts, low numbers of viable oocysts were still recovered from oysters after depuration, making their consumption when raw a public health risk. Our study highlights the need for increased periodic monitoring programs for shellfish harvesting sites, improved depuration procedures, and revised microbial quality control parameters, including Cryptosporidium assessment, to minimize the risk of cryptosporidiosis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Centre for Molecular Biosciences, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA. Phone: 44 (0)28 7032 3528. Fax: 44 (0)28 7032 4375. E-mail: cj.lowery{at}ulster.ac.uk

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 15 June 2007.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2007, p. 5083-5087, Vol. 73, No. 16
0099-2240/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00375-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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