Authors: Abong'o, B.O.¹; Momba, M.N.B.²; Mwambakana, J.N.²

Source: Journal of Food Protection®, Volume 71, Number 4, April 2008 , pp. 816-819(4)

Publisher: International Association for Food Protection

Abstract:

Fresh vegetables have been implicated in outbreaks of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in most parts of the world. Microbiological quality of vegetables used as recipes for salads is very crucial. Residents of the Amathole District in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa consume salads frequently, although the microbial quality of recipe vegetables is questionable. The present study investigated the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli O157:H7 isolated from selected vegetables sold within the Amathole District. One hundred eighty samples of the vegetables were analyzed. Strains of E. coli O157:H7 were isolated by enrichment culture and by immunomagnetic separation and identified by conventional and molecular techniques. In three settlements in this district, the mean counts of presumptive E. coli O157 for the vegetables ranged between 9 × 10³ and 1.6 × 10⁶ CFU/g for Fort Beaufort, 1.6 × 10³ and 1.6 × 10⁵ CFU/g for Mdantsane, and 1.3 × 10³ and 4.1 × 10⁴ CFU/g for Alice. Four (10.3%) of 39 vegetable samples were confirmed to carry E. coli O157:H7. Four representative E. coli O157:H7 isolates from these vegetables were susceptible to at least one of the eight antimicrobial agents tested against them. Even though the prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 was low and those isolated were susceptible to most of the antimicrobials, there remains a need for E. coli O157:H7 surveillance in vegetables used in salad recipes in urban and rural areas of South Africa.

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1341, Alice 5700, South Africa 2: Tshwane University of Technology, Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Science, Arcadia Campus, Private Bag X680, Pretoria 0002, South Africa

Publication date: 2008-04-01

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  First published in 1937, the Journal of Food Protection^®, is a refereed monthly publication. Each issue contains scientific research and authoritative review articles reporting on a variety of topics in food science pertaining to food safety and quality. The Journal is internationally recognized as the leading publication in the field of food microbiology with a readership exceeding 11,000 scientists from 70 countries. The Journal of Food Protection^® is indexed in Index Medicus, Current Contents, BIOSIS, PubMed, Medline, and many others.
  
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