Clinical Microbiology: Open Access

Abstract

Research About the Efficency of Using Alternative Methods of Microbiological Food Expertise

Puchianu Gheorghe, Babii Mihaela, Necula Valentin and Enache Dorin Valter

In order to verify the efficiency of the rapid diagnosis alternative methods, in the Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Laboratory Brasov-Romania, we have examined a total of 9952 samples, collected from various processing units.

The examinations that were performed are: the quality indicators enumeration using TEMPO equipment; food pathogens detection using the VIDAS equipment and bacterial identification using the VITEK 2 COMPACT.

It was found that 4.3% of the examined samples showed positive results, most non-compliances parameters being recorded as Total Number of Germs (8.9%), Enterobacteriaceae (8.6%), and Staphylococcus spp. (8.3%) and the less at the parameters of Salmonella spp. (0.9%) Listeria spp. (1.8%) and E. coli O157 (0.0%).

Part of the serovarians identified by the Vitek 2 Compact method, have been additional confirmed to establish the degree of correlation, using the Kaufmann-White method.

Salmonella spp., serovars identified were: Salmonella enterica serovars: saintpaul, infantis, newport, enteritidis and taksony, and the species of Listeria spp., were: L. monocytogenes, L. ivanovii and L. innocua.

Pathogenic serovars, Salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes, were confirmed as 100%. In the case of non-pathogenic Salmonella spp., the correlation between the two methods was 83.3% and in the case of Listeria spp, it was 100%. Infantis serovar identified by the Vitek 2 Compact method was confirmed by the Kaufmann-White method as taksony.

These values express the situation of the analysed samples, in terms of microbiological contamination and the results formed the basis for corrective measures implemented in the processing units and for the sanctions imposed on the origin lots in case, of  the identification of bacterial species with toxigenic potential.