MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION OF MOLLUSKS IN BUTRINTI LAGOON

Food borne disease in our days remains an important issue for public health because they cause infection to consumers and important economic damage to take in consideration.Microbiological control of bivalve mollusks and their habitat is considered an important process related to food safety, and is also a duty and directive of Europian Community, Directive 91/492. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium found in the faeces of all warm-blooded animals, including man. In Europe and elsewhere it is used as an indicator of the sanitary quality of bivalve shellfish. The level of E. coli in bivalve shellfish shows how much faecal pollution (human sewage or animal waste) they have been exposed to in the harvesting area. This in turn determines what, if any, treatment shellfish require before they are eaten. EU food law stipulates monitoring, classification and resulting treatments. This study was conducted on samples of bivalve mollusks (Mytilus galloprovincialis) taken from Butrinti lagoon during the period January 2009 - December 2010, where it is analyzed a total 132 samples. Samples were taken from three stations: North, South and West. Our results show an average value at a range 900 E.coli /100 g, and classify production area of bivalve mollusks as B area (14.84% belong to A area and B area 85.16%). Such results, make this lagoon to be classified in a quite polluted production area, which means that before putting them into the market these mollusks must be depurated, which is an obligation and a very important process that minimizes E.coli values.The analitical results obtained during the microbiological control of the samples taken in this study also indicate that West station of the lagoon is the most polluted.