Listeria monocytogenes detection in different food products and environmental samples from a large chain of supermarkets in the city of Bahía Blanca (Argentina)
Marzocca, M.A.; Marucci, P.L.; Sica, M.G.; Alvarez, E.E.
Revista Argentina de Microbiologia 36(4): 179-181
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0325-7541 PMID: 15786871 Document Number: 580396
This work on Listeria monocytogenes detection in different foods was carried out between January 2002 and July 2003. Ninety cold-served cooked meats, sliced and packaged by different methods and 132 pieces of soft cheeses were studied. These products were analyzed using the presence/absence in 25 g criterion. L. monocytogenes was not found either in foods sliced over the counter or in controlled cheeses, but it was found in 10% of sliced cold-served foods and 5% of cut and cold-served meats vacuum packaged. These results led us to investigate the presence of these pathogen bacteria in different environmental samples. A hundred and fifteen points were swabbed including processing lines, raw materials, tools, and refrigerators. L. monocytogenes was found in 13.2% of the analyzed samples: 5% in packaging sector, 6.7% in meat processing lines and 1.5% in personalized sales. These results showed the presence of sites where the microorganism may reside and create reservoirs, so that routinary measures of hygiene and disinfection were increased.