CONDICION BACTERIOLOGICA DE LAS OSTRA DEL MANGLAR (Crassostrea rhizophorae Guilding) EN LA CIENAGA GRANDE DE SANTA MARTA, CARIBE COLOMBIANO

Abstract

Between June 1985 and March 1986 the bacteriological condition of 20 samples of the mangrove oyster (Crassostrea rhizophorae) from two growing areas located in the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta was monitored; one of the areas was next to a village and the other far away any human concentration. In both locations the levels of faecal pollution present in the water and in the oysters usually surpasse the safety levels determined by international regulations, being a high potential risk for human health. The unsatisfactory condition of the bivalves comes from the steady flow of sewages produced in the lacustrine villages and in the basin as a whole.