La pollution bactérienne des eaux et des coquillages de l'étang de Thau - 1967

The sanitary state of the Thau Lagoon and of "Cette oysters" has been a matter of concern for many years. According to CALVET (1910) the first oyster farm, located in the place named "Fontaine d'Ambressac", was granted in 1875. From 1880 to 1884, seven concessions were granted in the Sète canals (fig. 1). The consequences of these installations in heavily polluted waters did not take long to manifest, with gastrointestinal intoxications and even cases of typhoid fever.As a matter of fact, CHANTEMESSE (1896), MOSNY (1897) and MOREAU (1899) consider that many small epidemics recorded in different French regions were caused by the ingestion of shellfish from Sète. But this point of view has been discussed a lot, and from 1897 on, SABATIER, PETIT and DUCAMP objected to the noxiousness of these molluscs; using the negative results of the bacteriological examination of oysters placed for 25 days in front of a sewage pipe in Sète. But a great number of typhoid cases reported between September 1906 and January 1907 caused a stir and lead to a study. This study, carried out by MOSNY and FABRE-DOMERGUE, culminated with the ministerial despatch of 25 January 1907 forbidding fishing product stabulation in the Sète canals and the Thau lagoon, next to built-up areas. Around the same time, NETTER, in a communication to the Medical Academy, gave introconvertible evidence of the dangerousness of stabulation in unhealthy waters in Sète: 67 cases of typhoid, including 18 deadly cases....