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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #96584
Title: RAPID DETECTION OF LISTERIA MONOCYTOGENES IN MECHANICALLY SEPARATED TURKEY MEAT

Author
item RAMOS, A - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item Wesley, Irene
item DICKSON, J - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
item HARMON, K - IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Food Safety Consortium Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/25/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Listeria monocytogenes is one of the major human bacterial foodborne pathogens. Over 1,500 human listeriosis cases occur annually with a mortality rate of 35%. Turkey frankfurters contaminated with L. monocytogenes were incriminated in at least one human fatality. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in mechanically separated turkey meat samples. Four trials were conducted (n = 150 samples). Meat samples were enriched in UVM I and UVM II media, and plated to Palcam agar. Presumptive colonies were confirmed with a multiplex PCR assay which distinguishes Listeria and L. monocytogenes. Overall, Listeria was isolated from 32% (48 of 150) of turkey meat samples. L. monocytogenes was identified in 44% (66 of 150) of meat samples. Isolates of L. monocytogenes were identified by serotype as type 1 (53%) and type 4 (30%). By serotyping approximately 17% were assigned to serogroups other than 1 and 4. Taken together, these data indicate widespread contamination of technically separated turkey meat with L. monocytogenes.