Occurrence, serovars and antibiotic resistance of Salmonella spp. in retail ready-to-eat food products in some Chinese provinces. (15th January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yang, Xiaojuan; Huang, Jiahui; Wu, Qingping; Zhang, Jumei; Yang, Shiyuan; Wang, Juan; Ding, Yu; Chen, Moutong; Xue, Liang; Wu, Shi; Gu, Qihui; Zhang, Youxiong; Wei, Xianhu
• Is Part Of: Lebensmittel-Wissenschaft + Technologie =. Volume 154(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-01-15
• Subjects: Salmonella spp. -- Ready-to-eat food products -- Prevalence -- Serovars -- Antibiotic resistance; Food industry and trade -- Periodicals; Food -- Composition -- Periodicals; Microbiology -- Periodicals; Nutrition -- Periodicals; 664.005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2021.112699
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0023-6438

Abstract

Abstract: Ready-to-eat (RTE) food products have been involved in numerous outbreaks of salmonellosis; however, epidemiological studies and data concerning Salmonella spp. contaminants of these foods are lacking in China. During 2015.6–2016.6, a total of 300 retail RTE food products were collected from 15 provincial capitals of China to determine the prevalence of Salmonella spp. and investigate serovar distribution and antibiotic resistance of the recovered isolates. Overall, seven (2.3%) of the food samples were contaminated by Salmonella spp. and the MPN values ranged from 0.3 to >110 MPN/g. Of the 26 recovered Salmonella isolates, eight serovars and eight MLST patterns were detected, with Salmonella enterica serovar Derby ST40 being the most prevalent. All isolated Salmonella serovars have previously been implicated in human infections. Eighty percent of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic class, and thirty percent were multidrug-resistant. The isolates had the highest resistance rates to tetracycline (70.0%), with tet(A) at 60.0% and tet(B) at 10.0%. The occurrence of Salmonella spp. and the high antibiotic-resistance rates of the isolates detected in the RTE foods could be potential human health risks. These results indicate that further supervision and hygienic regulations are needed in the RTE food production chain to ensure microbiological safety. Highlights: A high prevalence of Salmonella contamination was observed in retail ready-to-eat foods. S. Derby was the predominant serovars recovered. All identified serovars in this study have previously caused infections in humans. The Salmonella isolates recovered in this study showed a high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. These antibiotic-resistant isolates are a potential risk to public health.