Use of tilapia green water to eliminate vibrio parahaemolyticus and vibrio cholerae in cultured green mussel, Perna viridis (Linnaeus 1758)

Abstract

Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio cholerae are two widely known pathogens associated with bivalves that cause food-borne diseases including gastroenteritis and cholera. Aquaculture of the green mussel Perna viridis (Linnaeus 1758) is an important source of income for coastal and island communities in the Philippines, but issues regarding Vibrio bacterial load in this bivalve limits its market potential. Various depuration methods have been tested with ultraviolet light (UVL) method found to be highly efficient, widely practised but reported to be ineffective in removing pathogenic Vibrio species. The present study evaluates the potential of a biological approach using tilapia green water (TGW) in eliminating the pathogenic Vibrio species associated with the green mussel. Results show that the TGW can significantly decrease the level of V. parahaemolyticus and V. cholerae down to the safe level at 104 CFU.g-1 tissue after 76 h of exposure. Depuration of pathogenic Vibrios with TGW was found comparable to the treatment using the standard UVL depuration method. Overall, the present findings provide evidence that depuration using TGW can effectively decrease bacterial load of V. parahaemolyticus and V. cholerae in the green shell P. viridis.