Isolation of pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes in faeces of wild animals in captivity

The isolation of pathogenic Listeria spp. in faecal samples of captive wild animals was studied. Isolation of the pathogen was attempted from the samples by selective enrichment in University of Vermont Medium and plating onto Dominguez-Rodriguez isolation agar, PALCAM agar and modified McBride Listeria agar. Pathogenicity of the isolates was tested by Christie, Atkins, Munch Petersen test, phosphotidylinositol-specific phospholipase C assay, mice inoculation test and chick embryo bioassay. Listeria monocytogenes was isolated from eight (16%) of 50 faecal samples from six different mammals and one bird. Out of eight isolates, one isolate from jackal proved to be pathogenic by all the pathogenicity testing assays. PCR amplification of virulence genes suggested that the isolate was potentially pathogenic.     

Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in intestinal contents of healthy animals in Japan.

A total of 1,705 fecal specimens or ileo-cecal contents of cattle, pigs, dogs, cats, chicken and rats were submitted for the isolation of Listeria monocytogenes by the use of the combination of Oxford-LPM agar plates after the cold enrichment in PBS at 4 degrees C for 4-6 weeks. Prevalence of L. monocytogenes was found to be 1.9% in cattle, 0.6% in pigs, 0.9% in dogs and 6.5% in rats. However, none of L. monocytogenes was isolated from chicken or cats. Among 26 isolates of L. monocytogenes, 13 strains (50%) were classified into types 1/2a (3 strains), 1/2b (5 strains) and 4b (5 strains) and were often associated with human listeriosis. The majority of the Listeria spp. other than L. monocytogenes isolated from these animals was found to be L. innocua.     

Antimicrobial susceptibilities of Listeria monocytogenes isolated in Japan

The antimicrobial susceptibility of 201 Listeria monocytogenes isolates from foods, environments, animals and human patients in Japan was determined. All isolates were susceptible to ampicillin, the first choice of drug for listeriosis treatment, chloramphenicol, dihydrostreptomycin, erythromycin, enrofloxacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, lincomycin, nosiheptide, salinomycin, vancomycin, and virginiamycin. A human strain was resistant to oxytetracycline. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) for 50% of the strains and the MIC for 90% of the strains were comparable in all the isolates. This is the first investigation to compare antibiotic resistances between isolates from foods and isolates from human patients in Japan. The result showed that most of the isolates were susceptible to antibiotics used in this study.     

Sero-prevalence of agglutinins to Listeria monocytogenes in Nigerian domestic animals

A survey using tube agglutination test was conducted to determine the antibody prevalence to Listeria monocytogenes serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, 1/2c, 3a and 4b in 1,190 serum samples of 8 animals species from various sources in Kano and Kaduna states of Nigeria. Following absorption with Staphylococcus aureus antigen to remove cross-reacting agglutinins, 52 (68.4 p. 100) of the horse samples were positive. Twenty-six (36.1 p. 100) pig, 52 (20.8 p. 100) cattle, 50 (20.0 p. 100) goat, 20 (20.0 p. 100) dog, serum samples were also positive. Free-ranging chickens had an antibody prevalence of 18 (32.1 p. 100) while those intensively managed had 3 (6.8 p. 100), a difference found to be statistically significant (P less than or equal to 0.01; X2). Sheep sera collected from Zaria abattoir had a prevalence of 30 (14.7 p. 100) while those from Ahmadu Bello University, Veterinary Teaching Hospital had 6 (13.0 p. 100) prevalence. The prevalence in camel was 4 (4.3 p. 100). Overall, of the 1,190 serum samples tested, 26 (21.9 p. 100) were sero-positive for L. monocytogenes agglutinins. Each species of animal tested for L. monocytogenes was positive for all five serotypes, except camel which was negative for serotype 3a. Fourty-four (53.0 p. 100) samples were positive at a titre of greater than or equal to 480 for serotypes 1/2a, 60 (58.3 p. 100) for 1/2b, 57 (52.3 p. 100) for 1/2c, 7 (13.7 p. 100) for 3a and 23 (39.0 p. 100) for 4b. It is concluded that L. monocytogenes infection is widespread in domestic animals in Nigeria.     

The occurrence of Listeria monocytogenes in imported ready-to-eat foods in Japan

Quantitative analyses of Listeria monocytogenes in imported ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sold at retail stores in Japan were performed. Of the 77 non-cooked meat products, 6 samples (7.8%) tested positive. The levels of contamination of 4 of the samples were below 100 colony-forming units (CFU)/g, which is the microbiological criterion for L. monocytogenes in RTE foods as determined by Codex. However, Listeria cells at levels of 100 and 400 CFU/g were detected in a salami sample and a raw ham sample, respectively. All of the 70 cheese samples and the 3 samples made from raw ham and cheese showed negative test results. These results suggest that imported RTE foods are potential sources of the causative agent of listeriosis.     

Listeria monocytogenes gastroenteritis in sheep

Extract

Listeria monocytogenes is widely distributed in the environment of farm animals. It is found in soil, faeces and nasal secretions of healthy animals, water troughs and animal feeds. Under certain conditions it becomes pathogenic, causing serious disease in cattle and sheep. Most commonly it causes meningoencephalitis but, on occasion, septicaemic listeriosis results in abortion, and more recently it has been associated with gastroenteritis.     

Listeria monocytogenes in food]

As in recent years laboratory diagnostics of listeria has become part of food microbiology, the frequency of occurrence of the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes has been followed in various kinds of foods for a year. A total of 51 strains of L. monocytogenes (7.2%) was isolated from 700 kinds of samples (raw milk, pasteurized milk, meat surface, poultry, cheeses, thermally not treated meat products, food--industry machinery). As can be seen in Tab. I, the highest number of strains was isolated from meat surfaces (13.5%), followed by meat--industry machinery (12.72%), poultry (10%) and cheeses (5%). The lower numbers of strains were found out in thermally not treated meat products (3.8%) and in raw milk (3.3%). Pasteurized milk did not contain any strains. Our findings in raw milk (3.3%) and in pasteurized milk (0) are in agreement with the data cited e. g. by authors from the USA (Lovett et al., 1987), who mention the value of 4.2% in raw milk and the zero value in pasteurized milk. The percentage of strains monitored in cheeses (5%) can be evaluated as low as the assortment of investigated cheeses was small (all strains were isolated from soft ripening cheeses). German authors (Tham et al., 1988) speak about the 2.5% percentage of L. monocytogenes strains; this is in keeping with our findings. The findings in thermally not treated meat products (3.8%) can be evaluated as low although the number of strains found in raw meat was high.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Listeriosis in sheep. Isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from organs of slaughtered animals and dead animals submitted for post-mortem examination

The udders from 13 culled ewes and liver, spleen, kidney, lung and brain from 15 lambs, 11 months old, were examined for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) at slaughter. Lm was isolated from 1 of 13 udders, from 6 of the 15 brains and from 0–4 of the other organs from each of the 15 lambs.Internal organs from 68 sheep submitted for post-mortem examination were examined in the same way. Lm was isolated from 25 of these animals. Lm was isolated from the brain of 7 of 9 animals with encephalitis, and from 0–3 of the other 4 organs examined. Lm was also isolated from 10–20 % of the organs from animals with other diagnoses. Altogether 9 of 10 animals with encephalitis and 16 of 58 with other diagnoses (28 %) were found to harbour this organism.     

Listeria monocytogenes in horses in Iceland

Twenty isolates of Listeria monocytogenes associated with five confirmed and four suspected incidents of listeriosis in horses in Iceland were characterised by serotyping, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and ribotyping. Semiquantitative estimates of the numbers of L monocytogenes were made on faeces from horses with clinical signs of listeriosis and on grass silage fed to them. Large numbers of L monocytogenes were often found in the faeces of horses with severe signs of disease. The 20 isolates could be divided into six genotypes, each incident involving only one genotype. One serovar 1/2a genotype was associated with three confirmed incidents of listeriosis in 1991, 1993 and 1997. In one incident, the same genotype was isolated from the organs of a horse with listeriosis and from the spoiled grass silage fed to it.     

动物性食品中单核白细胞增多症李氏菌的检测

比较了4种增菌液和3种分离琼脂对动物性食品中单核白细胞增多症李氏菌的检测效果,以蛋白陈增菌液和胰蛋白陈琼脂为最佳.用这种方法检测了市售猪肉、分割鸡肉、鲜牛奶、奶皮、奶酪和奶豆腐中的单核白细胞增多症李氏菌,其检出率分别为6.7%,5.45%,5.0%,7.89%,27.03%和58.97%.