ena-STUDY-State Veterinary and Food Institute-22-06-2021-13:31:20:639-1099
Genomic diversity of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated in Slovakia between 2010 and 2020
Over the past 11 years, the Slovak National Reference Laboratory has collected a panel of 988 Listeria monocytogenes strains in Slovakia, isolated from various food sectors (61%), from food-processing environments (13.7%), from animals with listeriosis symptoms (21.2%) and from human cases (4.1%). Here, we serotyped these strains using the agglutination method. Serotype 1/2a showed the highest prevalence (61.1%) and serotype 1/2c showed the lowest prevalence, although it represented the majority of strains isolated from the meat sector. The distribution of clonal complexes (CCs) analysed on 176 strains demonstrated that CC11-ST451 (15.3%) was the most prevalent CC, particularly in food (14.8%) and animal strains (17.5%). CC11-ST451, followed by CC7, CC14 and CC37, were the most prevalent CCs in the milk sector, and CC9 and CC8 in the meat sector. CC11-ST451 is probably widely distributed in Slovakia, mainly in the milk and dairy product sectors, posing a possible threat to public health. Presumed persistence of CC9 was observed in one meat facility between 2014-2018, highlighting its general meat-related distribution and potential for persistence worldwide.
Over the past 11 years, the Slovak National Reference Laboratory has collected a panel of 988 Listeria monocytogenes strains in Slovakia, isolated from various food sectors (61%), from food-processing environments (13.7%), from animals with listeriosis symptoms (21.2%) and from human cases (4.1%). Here, we serotyped these strains using the agglutination method. Serotype 1/2a showed the highest prevalence (61.1%) and serotype 1/2c showed the lowest prevalence, although it represented the majority of strains isolated from the meat sector. The distribution of clonal complexes (CCs) analysed on 176 strains demonstrated that CC11-ST451 (15.3%) was the most prevalent CC, particularly in food (14.8%) and animal strains (17.5%). CC11-ST451, followed by CC7, CC14 and CC37, were the most prevalent CCs in the milk sector, and CC9 and CC8 in the meat sector. CC11-ST451 is probably widely distributed in Slovakia, mainly in the milk and dairy product sectors, posing a possible threat to public health. Presumed persistence of CC9 was observed in one meat facility between 2014-2018, highlighting its general meat-related distribution and potential for persistence worldwide.