[Listeria monocytogenes detection in different food products and environmental samples from a large chain of supermarkets in the city of Bahía Blanca (Argentina)].
This work on Listeria monocytogenes detection in different foods was carried out between January 2002 and July 2003. Ninety cold-served cooked meats, sliced and packaged by different methods and 132 pieces of soft cheeses were studied. These products were analyzed using the presence/absence in 25 g criterion. L. monocytogenes was not found either in foods sliced over the counter or in controlled cheeses, but it was found in 10% of sliced cold-served foods and 5% of cut and cold-served meats vacuum packaged. These results led us to investigate the presence of these pathogen bacteria in different environmental samples. A hundred and fifteen points were swabbed including processing lines, raw materials, tools, and refrigerators. L. monocytogenes was found in 13.2% of the analyzed samples: 5% in packaging sector, 6.7% in meat processing lines and 1.5% in personalized sales. These results showed the presence of sites where the microorganism may reside and create reservoirs, so that routinary measures of hygiene and disinfection were increased.
Marzocca
M A
MA
Laboratorio Control de Calidad, Cooperativa Obrera Limitada, Santa Fe 391 (8000) Bahía Blanca, Pcia, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Marucci
P L
PL
Sica
M G
MG
Alvarez
E E
EE
D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D002417:Cattle; D002611:Cheese / Q000382:microbiology; D003132:Commerce; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000517:prevention & control; D005511:Food Handling / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D005516:Food Microbiology; D018857:Food Packaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D012034:Refrigeration / Q000295:instrumentation; D014504:Urban Health