Characterization of Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli isolated from meat products sold in San Luis, Argentina

ANGEL GABRIEL SALINAS IBAÑNEZ,; CECILIA LUCERO ESTRADA; GABRIELA ISABEL FAVIER; ALBA EDITH VEGA; PATRICIA VIRGINIA STAGNITTA; MARÍA AÍDA MATTAR; GISELA ZOLEZZI; CAROLINA CARBONARI; ELIZABETH MILIWEBSKY; TERESA INES CORTIÑAS; , MARÍA ESTHER ESCUDERO1

JOURNAL OF FOOD SAFETY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2018 p. 1 - 10

0149-6085

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in meat products was studied by four procedures which combined enrichment, immunomagnetic separation (IMS), plating and a stx screening PCR. A total of 167 samples (57 ground beef, 58 fresh sausages and 52 precooked sausages) were collected from retail markets in San Luis, Argentina. The stx-positive samples (11.4%, 19/167) included 12.3% (7/57) of raw ground beef, 11.5% (6/52) of precooked sausages and 10.3% (6/58) of fresh sausages. The stx-positive sample rate increased when IMS was included in detection protocols. The stx2 gene (16/19) was more frequently detected than stx1 (4/19); the eae, rfbEO157 and fliCh7 genes were also investigated in stx-positive samples. Three non-O157 STEC strains were isolated from one precooked sausage and one fresh sausage (1.2%, 2/167). Their potential pathogenicity, antimicrobial susceptibility and genetic diversity were determined. This study highlights meat products as possible vehicles for transmission of STEC in this Argentine region.