title: Detection of Clostridium difficile in retail ground meat products in Manitoba.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to determine whether Clostridium difficile was present in uncooked retail ground beef and ground pork products sold in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Using an alcohol treatment protocol and inoculation of cultures on C difficile Moxalactam Norfloxacin (CDMN), toxigenic C difficile was found in 6.3% of 48 meat samples. The C difficile isolates belonged to different pulsotypes, all of which had been previously isolated from the stool of Manitoba patients with C difficile disease. Because cooking of meat will not eradicate C difficile spores, this raises a concern regarding potential foodborne transmissibility of this organism.
  
  
  
  The aim of the present study was to determine whetherClostridium difficilewas present in uncooked retail ground beef and ground pork products sold in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Using an alcohol treatment protocol and inoculation of cultures onC difficileMoxalactam Norfloxacin (CDMN), toxigenicC difficilewas found in 6.3% of 48 meat samples. TheC difficileisolates belonged to different pulsotypes, all of which had been previously isolated from the stool of Manitoba patients withC difficiledisease. Because cooking of meat will not eradicateC difficilespores, this raises a concern regarding potential foodborne transmissibility of this organism.
authors: Microbiology Laboratory, St Boniface Research Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
authors: Monique
authors: M
authors: Visser
authors: Shadi
authors: S
authors: Sephri
authors: Shadi
authors: S
authors: Sepehrim
authors: Nancy
authors: N
authors: Olson
authors: Tim
authors: T
authors: Du
authors: Michael R
authors: MR
authors: Mulvey
authors: Michelle J
authors: MJ
authors: Alfa
keywords: C difficile; Food-borne disease; Zoonotic disease