title: Characteristics of Escherichia coli from raw vegetables at a retail market in the Czech Republic.
abstract: A large epidemic caused by shigatoxigenic Escherichia coli (E. coli) in spring 2011 in Germany resulted in reduction of trust in the health safety of raw vegetables and sprouted seeds. This study focused on the detection and characterization of E. coli in raw vegetables and sprouted seeds sold in the Czech Republic. Out of 91 samples, 24 (26.4%) were positive for the presence of E. coli. Resistance to antimicrobial agents was determined by the disk diffusion method and E-test. Polymerase chain reaction was used for the detection of selected genes encoding virulence--eaeA, hly, stx1, and stx2 and genes encoding resistance to tetracycline--tet(A), tet(B), tet(C), and tet(G) and to β-lactams--blaTEM, blaSHV, and blaCTX. The blaTEM gene was detected in two isolates, the tet(B) gene in three and tet(A) in one isolate. No hly, stx1, or stx2 genes were present, but the eaeA gene was found in three (11.1%) isolates from imported vegetables. These isolates can be considered as potentially enteropathogenic. Results of this study show that raw vegetables and sprouted seeds sold in the retail market can represent a potential risk for consumers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Milk Hygiene and Technology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: askockova@vfu.cz.
authors.forename: Alena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skočková
authors.forename: Renáta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karpíšková
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Koláčková
authors.forename: Šárka
authors.initials: Š
authors.lastname: Cupáková
mesh_terms: D018153:Czech Republic; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005523:Food Supply; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012639:Seeds / Q000382:microbiology; D013753:Tetracycline Resistance / Q000235:genetics; D014675:Vegetables / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins
keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Vegetables; Virulence genes