Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter coli isolated from broiler farms in the Marrakesh Safi region, Morocco.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Campylobacteriosis is a common foodborne disease epidemiologically linked to the consumption of poultry products. However, other sources, such as raw or contaminated milk, contaminated water or ice, contact with infected livestock, and pets, are reported. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and resistance to microbial resistance of Campylobacter coli in broiler farms in the region of Marrakesh Safi, Morocco. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted between May and December 2017 and involved 35 broiler farms. One hundred and five cloacal swabs were collected from the eight provinces in the region of Marrakesh Safi, Morocco. Bacteriology method NM ISO/TS 10272-3: 2013 was used to isolate and identify Campylobacter spp. Molecular identification (polymerase chain reaction) was used for confirmation. A disk diffusion method on Mueller-Hinton agar was used for susceptibility testing. Five antibiotic agents, including first-line drugs, were evaluated. RESULTS: Among 105 samples, 71.4% (75/105) were positive for Campylobacter spp. test and 56% (42/75) of isolates belonged to the species coli. Susceptibility profiles showed that 95.2% of C. coli strains were resistant to ampicillin, 92.8% to erythromycin and tetracycline, 85.7% to ciprofloxacin, and 7.1% to gentamicin. CONCLUSION: This study underlines the need to strengthen implementation of specific control procedures to decrease contamination of poultry meat with Campylobacter spp. and to reduce the use of antibiotics in the poultry sector.

Microbial quality control of raw ground beef and fresh sausage in Casablanca (Morocco).

In this study, samples of raw ground beef (n = 150) and fresh sausage (n = 100) were collected randomly from butcheries, supermarkets, and fast-food shops, in Casablanca, Morocco. Two types of meat product samples were considered, one with spices (n = 115) and other without spices (n = 135). All the samples were analyzed for the presence of the following bacteria: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. E. coli strains were further typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), Operon O, and characterized for virulence genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results indicated that counts of E. coli, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, and C. perfringens were 17%, 9.6%, and 8.7% in samples without spices, respectively; and 23.5%, 23.7%, and 29.6% in samples with spices, respectively. Two pathogenic genes, LT and EAST, were identified separately in four strains of E. coli. Salmonella and L. monocytogenes were isolated in 2.8% and 3.2% of the total samples, respectively.

The bacterial quality of red meat and offal in Casablanca (Morocco).

The present study aimed to evaluate the bacteriological quality of beef (n = 52), lamb (n = 52) and beef offal (n = 52) marketed in Casablanca, Morocco. Meat and offal samples (n = 156), were collected randomly from butcheries, supermarkets, and slaughterhouses. Two sampling periods were considered, one during the hot season and the second one during the cold season. The samples were analyzed for the presence of the following bacteria: Escherichia coli, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. Results indicated that counts of the aerobic plate count, and fecal coliforms were particularly high in all the samples analyzed. E. coli, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus and C. perfringens were detected in 37.8, 16, and 4.5% of the meat samples, respectively. Neither Salmonella nor L. monocytogenes were isolated from meat samples. Approximately 26.9% of beef, 34.6% of lamb and 28.8% of beef offal samples contained bacteria above the maximum limits established by the Moroccan regulatory standards for meat and meat products. Seasonality and the distribution location significantly (p < 0.05) affected bacterial populations: the hot season and butcheries appeared to be cases where the highest populations of bacteria in meat were observed. These high levels of microbiological contamination attest the poor hygienic quality of meat and offal, possibly due to uncontrolled processing, storage, and handling of these products.