Detection of Listeria spp. in food handling areas of retail food stores in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil

Abstract

The identification of Listeria spp. in food handling areas is of great concern to health surveillance agencies, and their control is often hampered by the ability of the bacteria to grow and maintain themselves even under adverse conditions. The present study aimed to isolate and identify Listeria spp. in the food handling areas of 10 retail food stores in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Eighty-six swab samples were collected from equipment, utensils and surfaces used for processing ready-to-eat meat products. The Dry and Wet Swabbing Methods (3M™ Quick Swabs) and 3M™ Petrifilm™ Plates were used to identify Listeria spp. Contamination by Listeria monocytogenes was confirmed by the Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). The hygienic and sanitary conditions of the food handling areas of each store were also assessed. Listeria spp. was isolated in eight stores (80%). Of the 86 swab samples analyzed, 27 (31.2%) [confidence interval 21.81% to 42.30%] were positive for Listeria spp. and only one (3.7%) was confirmed as Listeria monocytogenes. The main contamination sites were the floor (50.0%), the plastic cutting board (42.9%) and the knife (40.0%). None of the hygienic and sanitary conditions assessed in the present study were associated with contamination by Listeria spp. (p = 0.700). It was concluded that Listeria spp. was widely distributed in the retail food stores studied, being a possible risk factor for public health.

Incidencia, cuantificación y perfil de adhesión de Listeria sp. aislado de jamones en lonchas

“…A presença de Listeria sp. em presuntos fatiados no comércio varejista, também foi verificado em outros estudos (Gombas et al, 2003;Luber et al, 2011), podendo estar relacionada com à possível contaminação cruzada entre produtos, falta de conhecimento dos manipuladores e higienização inadequada de instalações, equipamentos e utensílios (Nguyen & Burrows, 2014;Siqueira et al, 2017). A ausência de L. monocytogenes em presuntos fatiados pela IND e VAR no presente estudo difere dos resultados encontrados em outros trabalhos que identificaram a presença do patógeno em produtos cárneos RTE (Andrade et al, 2014;Bersot et al, 2008;Morganti et al, 2016;Vallim et al, 2015;Vitas & Garcia-Jalon, 2004).…”

“…Produtos cárneos prontos para consumo (Ready-to-Eat -RTE) apresentam como característica a possibilidade do consumo sem qualquer tipo de cozimento ou tratamento térmico, podendo ser retirados de sua embalagem original e serem consumidos de forma imediata (Siqueira et al, 2017). Listeria sp.…”

“…e Listeria monocytogenes têm importância nestes alimentos, pois apresentam natureza ubíqua e adaptações às condições adversas, além disso, L. monocytogenes possui importância epidemiológica associada a grupos de riscos (CDC, 2019;Gibbons et al, 2006;Goh et al, 2014). A presença desses patógenos já foi descrita em carnes cozidas e curadas, salmão defumado, mortadela e outros RTE (Bersot et al, 2008;Lee et al, 2017;Morganti et al, 2016;Siqueira et al, 2017;Vallim et al, 2015). A Instrução Normativa n° 60 (BRASIL, 2019), estabelece tolerância zero para L. monocytogenes em RTE.…”