Council Directive 91/492/EEC [1] sets out the designation of production areas of bivalve molluscs based on levels of Escherichia coli or faecal coliforms/100 g of flesh and intravalvular liquid | 9 Live bivalve molluscs and other shellfish Council Directive 91 492 EEC 1 sets out the designation of production areas of bivalve molluscs based on levels of Escherichia coli or faecal coliforms 100g of flesh and intravalvular liquid. A three-dilution five-tube most probable number MPN method is specified for testing without precise details but other bacteriological methods of equivalent accuracy are permitted. In the UK testing for E. coli is performed because it is considered to be a more specific indicator of faecal pollution than faecal coliforms. The microbiological criteria for the classification of shellfish harvesting areas are shown in Table . In addition to the classification criteria diarrhoetic shellfish poison DSP must be absent from the shellfish flesh and levels of paralytic shellfish poison PSP must be below 80 pg 100 g of flesh. If these levels are exceeded fishing is prohibited in that harvesting area until compliance is achieved. Since the publication of the Directive another shellfish poison known as amnesic shellfish poison ASP has been identified levels of ASP should be below 20 pg g of flesh 2 . Testing for DSP PSP and ASP is normally performed by reference laboratories. Routine monitoring of shellfish harvesting areas in the UK for marine biotoxins is a statutory responsibility of the Food Standards Agency who can advise on the specialist laboratories currently contracted to undertake this task. In England the reference facility for outbreak related samples is the Food Safety Microbiology Laboratory Central Public Health Laboratory. Tel 020 82004400 ext. 3521 4113. The UK National Reference Laboratory for biotoxins is the Fisheries Research Services FRS Marine Laboratory Aberdeen AB11 9DB. Tel 01224876544. An end-product standard is defined for shellfish intended for immediate human consumption. For faecal coliforms and E. coli this is given as category A in Table . In addition the shellfish should meet the standards defined above for
