Presence of some indicator bacteria and diarrheagenic E. coli pathotypes on jalapeño and serrano peppers from popular markets in Pachuca City, Mexico

Evaluation of Microbial Contamination of Tomatoes and Peppers at Retail Markets in Monterrey, Mexico

“…5); however, no differences (P -0.05) were observed among varieties of each crop or the type of store where the samples were purchased. The levels of contamination found in this work were much less than those reported for jalapeno (3.0 to 8.1 log CFU per sample) and serrano peppers (log 4.5 to 8.5 CFU per sample) from popular markets in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico (10). On the other hand, the levels of fecal coliforms ranged from less than 10 to 103 log CFU/g for peppers and less than 10 to 102 log CFU/g for tomatoes (Figs.…”

“…Similarly, Liao et al (21) reported that peppers obtained from grocers in Pennsylvania had levels of aerobic microorganisms ranging from 4.7 to 6.3 log CFU/g of tissue, with an average of 5.6; these levels are similar to those found in the present study. Another study conducted in the central part of Mexico (Pachuca, Hidalgo) reported higher levels of mesophilic aerobic bacteria in peppers at retail with counts of 7.2 and 6.4 log CFU/g for serrano and jalapeno peppers, respectively (10). This level of contam ination could be due to deficiencies in quality control systems of pepper production and distribution in that region.…”

“…Of this production, approximately 25 and 10% were jalapeno and serrano peppers, respectively (26). These two pepper species are m ost com m only consum ed raw in M exico and other countries (10). Tom ato production in M exico increased by 56.2% from 1994 to 2001, and during the winter, m ost o f the tom atoes consum ed in the United States com e from M exico (18).…”

“…Intestinal diseases due to consum ption o f contam inated food are am ong the top five causes o f disease in M exico (9). Studies in central M exico have found high levels o f contam ination on serrano and jalapeno peppers (10,25). A nother study in northeastern M exico conducted a brief analysis o f different crops, including tom atoes and peppers, and found no pathogens (14).…”

Prevalence and Diversity of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coliStrains in Fresh Produce

“…It is evident from these outbreaks that ETEC are found in fresh produce; however, aside from studies that detected ETEC in restaurant salads and in vegetables used in street vendor foods in Mexico (7,9,10), there have been no reports on the prevalence of ETEC in fresh produce. The MDP surveys generated a wealth of data on pathogen presence in produce; hence, in this study, we analyzed the MDP data on ETEC isolated from produce to determine their prevalence in various types of produce, including ready-to-eat bagged lettuce and spinach.…”