Alena Lorencova
Veterinary Research Institute, Czech Republic
Title: Pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica in Retailed Raw Meat Products in the Czech Republic
Biography
Biography: Alena Lorencova
Abstract
Yersinia enterocolitica is the most common cause of human yersiniosis and undercooked pork has been suggested as its primary source. Nevertheless, data on the prevalence of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica in foodstuffs are limited. A total of 93 samples of minced meat containing pork, 50 pig tongues and 50 pig hearts purchased at nine retail outlets in Brno (Czech Republic) were examined for the presence of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica. Using the real time PCR, 45 (23.3%) samples were positive for the presence of the species-specific ail gene which occurs only in pathogenic Y. enterocolitica. The highest prevalence was found in pig tongues (40%), followed by pig hearts (18.0%) and minced meat samples (17.2%). Ail-positive samples were examined by culture methods to obtain isolates of pathogenic (ail-positive) Y. enterocolitica for their further characterization. A total of 35 isolates was obtained from pig tongues (n=7) only. All isolates belonged to biotype 4, two serotypes were identified: O:3 (71.4% of isolates) and O:9 (28.6%). All isolates were susceptible to ceftazidime, imipenem, meropenem, chloramphenicol, tetracycline, colistin, tobramycin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and enrofloxacin. Intermediate resistance to cefotaxime (17.1%) and cefepime (5.8%) was observed. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin, resistance to gentamicin was found in 20% of isolates, one isolate (2.9%) was intermediately resistant. Our results indicate that raw pork products could be a source of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica at the retail level in the Czech Republic. Sufficient heat treatment and prevention of cross-contamination during preparation should be recommended (supported by QJ1210113, RO0516 and LO1218).