Occurrence and Distribution of Listeria Species in Some Egyptian Foods

Research Abstract

The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence of L. monocytogenes and other Listeria species in food products. A total of 233 food samples (51 raw milk, 51 kareish cheese, 31 butter, 50 burger and 50 luncheon) were randomly collected from retail markets and grocery stores in Beni-Suef governorates, Egypt. Twenty-seven samples (11.59%) were positive for Listeria spp. The most contaminated food products with Listeria species was raw milk (27.45%) followed by kareish cheese (13.73%), burger (8 %) and butter (6.45%). All examined luncheon samples were Listeria free. The most recovered species was Listeria innocua (22.22%); The remaining isolates were L. ivanovii (18.52%), L. seeligeri (18.52%), L. grayi (14.815%) L. welshimeri (14.815%) and L. monocytogenes (11.11%). The results indicate that there is a potential risk of infection with Listeria, therefore strict preventive measure should be adopted to ensure Listeria free foods.

Research Keywords

Listeria spp., Raw milk, Burger, Luncheon, Dairy products