PREVALENCE OF LISTERIA SPP, CAMPYLOBACTER SPP SALMONELLA SPP YERSINIA SPP AND TOXIGENIC ESCHERICHIA-COLI ON MEAT AND SEAFOODS IN TRINIDAD

The prevalences of species of Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Yersinia and Escherichia coli in raw meats and seafoods in Trinidad were investigated. The toxigencity and antibiograms of E. coli isolates were also determined. of the 480 samples studied, 28 (5.8%) were positive for Listeria spp. with the highest prevalence (14.8%) detected in fish. Nine (1.9%) and 14 (2.9%) samples were positive for L. monocytogenes and L. innocua, respectively. L. monocytogenes serotypes 4b and 1/2c were prevalent in both local and imported meat. Campylobacter strains were isolated from 29 (6.0%) of the samples, with 28 (96.6%) of the positive samples being chickens, one (3.4%) from shrimps. E. coli was recovered from 43 (9.0%) of the 480 samples but only 2 (4.7%) of these strains produced verocytotoxins while 1 (2.3%) isolate produced heat-labile (LT) toxin. Resistance of E. coli strains to antimicrobial agents was high with 33 (76.7%) of 43 strains exhibiting resistance to one or more antimicrobial agents. Strains resistant to streptomycin and tetracycline were the most prevalent. All samples were negative for Yersinia spp. It was concluded that the frequency of contamination of meats and seafoods by the five pathogens studied is low, as is the health risk posed to consumers. Seafoods pose the highest risk of listeriosis to consumers in Trinidad based on the frequency of contamination and the prevailing fish-eating habits. © 1993 Academic Press. All rights reserved.