| Congresso Brasileiro de Microbiologia 2023 | Resumo: 60-1 | ||||
Resumo:Listeriosis is a serious foodborne disease that affects immunocompromised humans and has high case-fatality rates. Of the species composing the genus Listeria, only L. monocytogenes is considered consistently pathogenic to humans, although occasional infections by L. innocua, L. seeligeri, L. welshimeri and L. ivanovii have been reported. It is well established that any fresh food of animal or plant origin may have a varying quantity of L. monocytogenes. In general, the microorganism has been found in raw milk, unripened cheese, fresh or frozen meat, seafood, fruits and vegetables. Research on the occurrence of this pathogen in food in the Brazilian Northeast is scarce. This work aimed to isolate and characterize bacteria of the genus Listeria in food of animal origin sold in the state of Sergipe. Sixty-nine samples were collected, of which 32 were coalho cheese and 37 were meats (chicken, beef and sheep meat, ground or in pieces). The samples were collected in four municipalities in Sergipe: Feira Nova, Nossa Senhora das Dores, São Cristóvão and Aracaju, in places such as street markets, grocery stores, supermarkets, butchers and bakeries. The samples were analyzed at the Veterinary Microbiology Laboratory of the Federal University of Sergipe in São Cristóvão. Aliquots of 25 g of cheese or meat were enriched in 225 ml LEB for 24 h/30ºC. After this period, secondary enrichment was performed using 0.1 ml aliquots of LEB inoculated into tubes with 10 ml of Fraser broth which were incubated at 30 ºC for 48 h. After incubation, the tubes were streaked in triplicate on Palcam agar plates and incubated at 37ºC for 48 h. Colonies with Listeria characteristics were subjected to morphotintorial and biochemical analysis for their identification, and the suspected isolates were sent to the Zoonosis Laboratory of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, for their molecular confirmation. Of the 69 samples analyzed, 13 (18.8%) were of the genus Listeria, being two samples of coalho cheese (15.4%) and 11 of red meat (84.6%), nine of which corresponded to ground meat. The two cheese samples were positive for L. innocua and were collected in markets in Aracaju. In 9 of the 11 meat samples L. innocua was also identified, and in the other two L. welshimerii was identified. The L. innocua samples were obtained in Feira Nova (1 sample), Nossa Senhora das Dores (1 sample), São Cristóvão (2 samples) and Aracaju (5 samples). The two samples of L. welshimerii were obtained in Aracaju. No isolates of L. monocytogenes were obtained, but its presence in the food is not ruled out, since non-pathogenic Listeria species grow faster in culture media than pathogenic species. Due to its ability to form biofilms, Listeria is a microorganism that indicates correct cleaning in food industries, and failures in the sanitization processes of environments and equipment, such as meat grinding machines, can favor cross-contamination of food. Food safety should be ensured by monitoring establishments that process and market animal products. Both species found in this research indicate the need for improvement in the production, handling, sanitization and storage processes of food products sold in the cities of Sergipe. Palavras-chave: coalho cheese, meat, listeriosis | |||||