title: Presence of foodborne pathogens, extended-spectrum β-lactamase -producing Enterobacteriaceae, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in slaughtered reindeer in northern Finland and Norway.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Various food-producing animals were recognized in recent years as healthy carriers of bacterial pathogens causing human illness. In northern Fennoscandia, the husbandry of semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) is a traditional livelihood and meat is the main product. This study determined the presence of selected foodborne pathogens, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae in healthy semi-domesticated reindeer at slaughter in northern Finland and Norway.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All 470 reindeer fecal samples tested negative for Salmonella spp., whereas L. monocytogenes was detected in 3%, Yersinia spp. in 10%, and Shiga toxins genes (stx1 and/or stx2) in 33% of the samples. Listeria monocytogenes isolates belonged to the serotype 1/2a (14/15) and 4b, Yersinia spp. were identified mainly as Y. kristensenii (30/46) and Y. enterocolitica (8/46), and stx2 predominated among the Shiga toxin genes (stx2 alone or in combination with stx1 was found in 25% of the samples). With regard to the frequency and distribution of stx1/stx2, striking differences were evident among the 10 different areas of origin. Hence, reindeer could constitute a reservoir for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), but strain isolation and characterization is required for verification purposes and to assess the potential human pathogenicity of strains. On the other hand, the favorable antibiotic resistance profiles (only 5% of 95 E. coli isolates were resistant to one or more of the tested antibiotics) and the absence of MRSA and ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae (when applying selective methods) suggest only a limited risk of transmission to humans.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Healthy semi-domesticated reindeer in northern Finland and Norway can be carriers of certain bacterial foodborne pathogens. Strict compliance with good hygiene practices during any step of slaughter (in particular during dehiding and evisceration) is therefore of central importance to avoid carcass contamination and to prevent foodborne pathogens from entering the food chain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Wazama, Finland.
authors.forename: Sauli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Laaksonen
authors.affiliation: Research and Laboratory Department, Production Animal and Wildlife Health Research Unit, Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Antti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oksanen
authors.affiliation: Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Julmi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zweifel
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fredriksson-Ahomaa
authors.affiliation: Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. roger.stephan@uzh.ch.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stephan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005387:Finland; D005511:Food Handling / Q000592:standards; D005516:Food Microbiology; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; D009664:Norway; D012053:Reindeer; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001618:beta-Lactamases
keywords: ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae; Listeria monocytogenes; MRSA; Reindeer fecal samples; Salmonella; Shiga toxin genes; Yersinia