G. Luis Ruiz ¹, Iris Jimenez-Pitre ², Geomar Molina-Bolívar ³

Affiliations
1 Research Group, BIEMARC, Universidad de La Guajira, Riohacha, CO
2 Research Group, BIEMARC,Universidad de La Guajira, CO
3 Research Group, BIEMARC, Universidad de La Guajira, CO

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the bacteriological quality of the mangrove oyster and its aquatic environment, such as a risk factor in public health, through the consumption of these products from the natural environment. Materials and Methods: Data were collected about 60 samples of oysters and the surrounding water, between June and November 2004. Using the indirect method of counting multiple fermentation tubes, we estimated the concentration of bacteria indicators of total and fecal coliform contamination. The indicators of the bacteriological quality of the oysters presented a minimum of ≤ 3 NMP.100 mL^-1 and a maximum of 46 × 104 MPN.100 mL-1 of total coliforms, fecal coliforms showed a seasonal variation in concentrations between ≤3 NMP.100 mL^-1 and 2 × 103 MPN.100 mL^-1. Findings: The analysis of water samples recorded a range of concentration of coliforms from ≤ 3 NMP.100 mL^-1 to 3.9 × 105 NMP.100 mL^-1 and for fecal coliforms it ranged from ≤ 3 NMP.100 mL^-1 to 7 × 103 MPN.100 mL^-1. This study suggests that there exists a directly proportional relationship between the bacteriological quality of the mangrove oyster Crassostrea rhizophorae and the water quality of the environment, by its status filtering, which contributes a factor of risk to public health, the consumption of this food, especially if the consumption is done in a direct way. Applications/recommendations: the potentiality of the Bay of Mestizo, Colombia, for the development of a sustainable aquaculture of the mangrove oyster (Crassostrea rhizophorae), requires baseline studies on various environmental and social aspects which will lay the basis for the socio-economic development of this region.

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