ABSTRACT
In 1973 Italy experienced a minor, but widely publicized, cholera epidemic in the south central portion of the country. Mussels were blamed and this led to the immediate embargo of all shellfish harvesting and shipping. This was followed by introduction of updated shellfish sanitation legislation. This legislation was revised in 1977 and voted into law on 2 May 1977. This law covers all aspects of harvest and commercialization of bivalve shellfish. Depuration was included in this new legislation as an obligatory component of shellfish marketing. Subsequently, regulations and protocols were developed by a selected commission of shellfish specialists and microbiologists. The day-to-day sampling of process water and shellfish batch samples is the responsibility of the plant operator, utilizing the services of a certified in-house or contracted laboratory. The practice of circumvention greatly clouds the epidemiological data as regards certain shellfish associated diseases such as Hepatitis-A.
