title: Detection of Clostridium perfringens in yearling lamb meat (barbacoa), head, and gut tacos from public markets in Mexico City.
abstract: No reports on the incidence of Clostridium perfringens in popularly-consumed food from Mexico City have been published; neither are there any reports that have analyzed food consumed in popular markets and less established restaurants. Therefore, this study is aimed at providing data to evaluate the relevance of C. perfringens as an etiologic agent of food-borne diseases. Of the 650 analyzed samples, 106 (16.3%) were positive for C. perfringens; 6.4% (16/250) isolates were from barbacoa, 19% (38/200) from head, and 13% (52/200) from gut tacos. The presence of C. perfringens in these popular-consumed foods demonstrates its relevance as an etiologic agent of food-borne diseases, and confirms the great sanitary risk involved in their consumption. These results may serve as a basis for the Mexican sanitary authorities to control the microbiological quality of street-made foods.
authors.affiliation: Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biologicas, Mexico, Mexico.
authors.forename: Iván
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Natividad-Bonifacio
authors.forename: Carlos R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Quiñones
authors.forename: Oscar R
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Rodas-Suárez
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Esteban
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Solis
authors.forename: Elsa Irma
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Quiñones-Ramírez
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Salinas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003132:Commerce; D005516:Food Microbiology / Q000592:standards*; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008461:Meat Products / Q000032:analysis* / Q000382:microbiology; D008800:Mexico; D012756:Sheep