Distribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in finfish harvested from Porto Novo (S. India) environs: a seasonal study.

A seasonal survey was undertaken to elucidate the incidence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in freshly caught and market samples of fish collected from five distinct locales near Porto Novo. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was isolated from 35.6 and 40.6% of freshly harvested fishes from the estuary and mangroves, respectively, while only 3.9% of freshly caught specimens originating from the Bay of Bengal were positive for the pathogen. Isolation rates of 46.8% for fishes from the landing site and 40.6% for fishes from the fish market were recorded. Vibrio parahaemolyticus was more readily recovered from market samples of fish (44%) compared with freshly caught brackish water fishes (37.5%). Incidence of V. parahaemolyticus was higher during summer (March-July) than in other seasons.