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The availability and popularity of processed, ready-to-cook (RTC) poultry products are increasing in India. Though fresh poultry is known to be contaminated with Salmonella, the prevalence of this foodborne pathogen in RTC poultry products is not reported. Eighty-seven chilled and frozen RTC poultry samples of 4 different brands obtained from supermarkets and departmental stores in Mumbai were analyzed for the presence of Salmonella. The prevalence of Salmonella was higher (51%) in chilled RTC samples as compared to the frozen RTC samples (5%). The frozen RTC samples of one brand were free from Salmonella. S. Typhimurium (75.2%) was the most prevalent serovar, followed by S. Enteritidis (23%) and S. Weltevreden (1.7%). A high percentage (81.4%) of the isolates were found to be resistant to 5 or more antibiotics and class 1 integron, which has been shown to confer multi-drug resistance, was detected in 69.9% of the isolates. Multiple antibiotic resistance index of isolates was high (0.6) indicating the indiscriminate use of antibiotics during poultry farming. High genetic diversity was observed among the Salmonella serovars based on Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis profiles. Results showed the presence of multi-drug resistant Salmonella serovars in processed, chilled RTC poultry products marketed in Mumbai, India.

A radiation-resistant bacterial isolate from gamma-radiation-processed (5 kGy) semidried prawns was identified as a new strain of Macrococcus caseolyticus and was designated as M. caseolyticus (A) on the basis of morphological and biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA sequencing. DNA-DNA hybridization studies with M. caseolyticus DSM 20597(T) further confirmed the isolate as M. caseolyticus. Major fatty acids present in M. caseolyticus (A) were C14:0, C16:1ω11c, and C18:1ω9c, whereas C15:0anteiso, C16:0iso, and C18:0iso were absent. The closest match for the isolate, as per fatty acid methyl ester analysis, was M. caseolyticus DSM 20597(T). However, the similarity index was significantly low (0.112), which indicates that the isolate could be a new strain of M. caseolyticus. The decimal reduction dose (D10) for M. caseolyticus (A), M. caseolyticus JCSC5402, and Staphylococcus aureus MTCC96 was 1.18, 0.607, and 0.19 kGy, respectively. This is the first report on radiation resistance of M. caseolyticus. Macrococcus caseolyticus (A) is more resistant to gamma and UV radiation stress than are M. caseolyticus JCSC5402 and S. aureus MTCC96; however, it is sensitive to heat as well as desiccation stress.