Vibrio spp. in Wild and Farmed Mytilus galloprovincialis along the Algerian Mediterranean Coast: Evidence of V. cholerae 01 Serotype Ogawa

ABSTRACT

Two hundred and eighty samples of wild and farmed Mytilus galloprovincialis, harvested along the Algerian Mediterranean coast, were processed for the occurrence of Vibrio spp. The mussels were sampled monthly in 2018, in conjunction with the Algerian cholera outbreak that occurred in August. Overall, 33 strains of V. cholerae and 18 strains of V. fluvialis were isolated from 34 wild mussels sampled between July and September. A strain of V. cholerae O1 serotype Ogawa was found in a wild sample of mussels collected after the cholera outbreak. The results confirm the role of mussels as vector for V. cholerae.

KEYWORDS:

• Mussels
• bivalves
• cholera outbreak
• pathogenic Vibrio

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.