VIBRIO-PARAHAEMOLYTICUS IN LOBSTER PANULIRUS-LAEVICAUDA (LATREILLE)

This study verifies the presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus on 16 tail s samples of the lobster Panulirus laevicauda (Latreille) species coll ected at the Fish Market in 1988, on 16 samples collected at the same location in 1990 and on 16 samples collected at a local Fish Industry. The MPN of V. parahaemolyticus obtained on samples from all sources v aried from < 3.0 to 21.0/g. of 39 strains identified as V. parahaemoly ticus on the Fish Market samples collected in 1988, 11 (28.2%) showed to be ''non agglutinable'' and among isolates of 1990, 5 (35.7%) of th em agglutinated with anti-K sera. Only one isolate among Industry samp les was typable. The serogroups found among V. parahaemolyticus strain were: KI, KII, KIII, KIV, KV, KVI, KVII, KVIII and KIX. From a total of 56 V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated on Fish Market samples coll ected in 1988 and 1990, 29 (51.8%) were Kanagawa-positive, whereas tho se isolated on samples the from Industry (3) were Kanagawa-negative.