Antimicrobial Resistance and Distribution of Virulence Factors of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Isolated from Shellfish Farms on the Southern Coast of Korea

From 2013 through 2015, we investigated the contamination status and antimicrobial resistance patterns of pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus in commercially valuable seawater and shellfish (Oyster Crassostrea gigas, short-neck clam Venerupis philippinarum, ark shell Scapharca broughtonii and mussel Mytilus galloprovinciallis) from the southern coast of Korea. The detection rate of V. parahaemolyticus was highest in short-neck clams (23.7%), followed by ark shells (19.2%), oysters (15.9%), mussels (13.6%), and seawater (8.6%). The following percentages of PCR assays of shellfish were positive for the thermostable direct hemolysin-related hemolysin gene (trh) : oysters (12.8%), short-neck clams(11.8%), and ark shells (3.4%). Similar assays for the thermostable direct hemolysin gene (tdh) resulted in positive results for short-neck clams (5.9%) and ark shells (3.4%). Antimicrobial resistance was present in 100% of 8 tdh (+) and 2 trh (+) V. parahaemolyticus isolates challenged with ampicillin. However, all pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus were sensitive to 14 other antibiotics. To ensure the safety of shellfish consumption, the continuous monitoring of the prevalence and distribution of virulence factors of V. parahaemolyticus in shellfish farms is needed.