Toxigenic Staphylococcus aureus in some animal-originated food products marketed in Turkey: presence and Public Health concerns.

This study aimed to detect the presence of Staphylococcus aureus in some animal source food (ASF) including emulsified meat products (sausage and salami), dry fermented meat product (soudjouk), semi dry meat product (pastrami) and raw chicken meat. Sixty six  (38.8%) of 170 samples were found to be positive for S. aureus. It was determined that S. aureus was found in 17 (56.6%) salami, 27 (54%) raw chicken meat, 9 (30%) soudjouk, 9 (30%) pastrami, 4 (13.3%) sausage samples. Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) were identified in 5 out of 66 (7.5 %) isolates food matrices including 3 (4.5%) SEA, 2 (3.03%) SEC. The sea and sec genes were detected in 3 (4.5%) of 66 isolates. The results of this study highlight the need to provide suitable control strategies concerning production, sales, and storage to prevent the spread of enterotoxigenic S. aureus isolates in ASF. The key contribution of this study is its revelation of the presence of S. aureus in animal products sold in Turkish local markets, highlighting the potential public health risks associated with animal foods.

Investigation and characterization of Aliarcobacter spp. isolated from cattle slaughterhouse in Türkiye.

Aliarcobacter spp. have been isolated from numerous food products at retail and from animal carcasses and feces at slaughter. The objectives of this study were as follows: (i) to isolate Aliarcobacter species from different slaughterhouses' samples and (ii) to detect genetic diversity, antibiotic resistance, biofilm ability, and putative virulence gene profiles of the isolates. A molecular investigation of antibiotic resistance and virulence factors was also conducted using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Among 150 samples, a total of 22 (14.6%) Aliarcobacter spp. isolates were obtained, with varying levels of antibiotic resistance observed. The genes tetO, tetW, and gyrA were detected in 0%, 31.8%, and 27.2% of the isolates, respectively. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin, rifampin, and erythromycin, while tetracycline was found to be the most effective antibiotic, with 81.8% of the isolates showing susceptibility to it. All isolates (100%) harbored more than one of the nine putative virulence genes tested, with 18.1% of isolates carrying more than three. Regarding biofilm formation, 7 (31.8%) and 4 (18.1%) isolates were found to form strong and moderate biofilms, respectively, while one (4.5%) isolate was classified as a weak biofilm producer. ERIC-PCR band patterns suggested that the isolated Aliarcobacter spp. from slaughterhouses had different sources of contamination. These findings highlight the potential risk posed by pathogenic and multidrug-resistant Aliarcobacter spp. in food and the need for control measures throughout the food chain to prevent the spread of these strains. The results indicate that foods of animal origin and cattle slaughterhouses are significant sources of antimicrobial resistant Aliarcobacter.

Escherichia coli serogroups in slaughterhouses: Antibiotic susceptibility and molecular typing of isolates.

This study aimed to investigate the contamination of carcasses and slaughterhouse environment with Escherichia coli O157:H7 and non-O157 serogroups (O45:H2, O103:H2, O121:H19, O145:H28, O26:H11, O111:H8). For this purpose, a total of 150 samples (30 carcasses, 30 shredding units, 30 knives, 30 slaughterhouse waste water and 30 wall surfaces) were collected from 5 different slaughterhouses in Kayseri, Turkey. The conventional and molecular methods were performed in order to detect Escherichia coli and its serogroups. Of the 150 samples, 55 (36%) were found to be contaminated with E. coli. Among isolates, E. coli serogroup (O157:H7) were detected in 2 (11%) carcass and 2 (11%) wastewater samples. None of the E. coli isolates harbored tested genes (stx1, stx2, eaeA, and hylA). Effective infection control measures and antibiotic stewardship programs should be adopted to limit the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. It was also deduced that these isolates resistance to different antibiotics could be hazardous for public health.

Enterocytozoon bieneusi in raw milk of cattle, sheep and water buffalo in Turkey: Genotype distributions and zoonotic concerns.

Raw milk is a continued threat to public health due to possible contamination with zoonotic pathogens. Enterocytozoon bieneusi is one of the most prevalent pathogenic fungi in a wide range of vertebrate hosts, causing diarrheal disease. Although there has been some evidence, the role and potential risk of raw milk of dairy animals in the transmission dynamics of E. bieneusi is not clear. Therefore, we aimed to determine the occurrence and genotypes of E. bieneusi in raw milk of dairy animals in several farms of the Central Anatolia Region. We also investigated if there is a relation between the presence of E. bieneusi and mastitis. Genomic DNAs from a total of 450 raw milk including 200, 200 and 50 samples from cattle, sheep and water buffalo respectively were analyzed using nested PCR, targeting the internal transcribed spacer of E. bieneusi. Totally milk samples of 9 (4.5%) dairy cattle, 36 (18.0%) sheep, and 1 (2.0%) water buffalo were PCR-positive. A significant relationship was determined between mastitis and the presence of E. bieneusi. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of eight genotypes: two known (ERUSS1, BEB6) and six novel genotypes (named as TREb1 to TREb6). The genotype ERUSS1 and BEB6 were the most common genotypes, found in all cattle and sheep farms. Phylogenetic analysis clustered all the identified genotypes in Group 2. This study provides novel findings that contribute to the transmission dynamics and molecular epidemiology of E. bieneusi. Our study also highlighted the potential risk of raw milk for public health with respect to microsporidia infections.