Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess occurrence of Clostridium botulinum and Clostridium perfringens in honey samples from Kazakhstan. Analyses were carried out using a set of PCR methods for identification of anaerobic bacteria, and detection of toxin genes of C. botulinum and C. perfringens. Among 197 samples, C. botulinum was noticed in only one (0.5%). The isolated strain of this pathogen showed the presence of the bont/A and ntnh genes. C. perfringens strains were isolated from 18 (9%) samples, and mPCR (multiplex PCR) analysis led to them all being classified as toxin type A with the ability to produce α toxin. Sequence analysis of 16S rDNA genes showed occurrence in 4 samples of other anaerobes related to C. botulinum, which were C. sporogenes and C. beijerinckii strains. C. botulinum prevalence in honey samples from Kazakhstan in comparison to the prevalence in samples collected from the other regions seems to be less. The highest prevalence of Clostridium sp. was noticed in the East Kazakhstan province. Our study is the first survey on BoNT-producing clostridia and C. perfringens prevalence in Kazakh honey.
Highlights
Honey is a natural sweet substance produced by bees from nectar, blossoms or from the secretion of parts of plants or their excretions
The aim of our study was to assess the occurrence of BoNT-producing clostridia and C. perfringens strains in honey samples from Kazakhstan
Recovery of C. botulinum NCTC 887 spores was possible at each examined level of contamination (100, 101 and 102 spores/g) and from all the samples of contaminated honey
Summary
Honey is a natural sweet substance produced by bees from nectar, blossoms or from the secretion of parts of plants or their excretions. Honey consists of sugar and water, with sugar making up 95–99% of the dry matter. The majority of sugars are monosaccharides and they constitute 85–95%. Fructose (38.2%) and glucose (31.3%) are the major components [1,2,3]. Microorganisms present in honey are those which are able to survive in a high concentration of sugars and acidity and where antimicrobial substances occur. The primary sources of microbial contamination are likely to include pollen, the digestive tracts of honeybees, dirt, dust, air, and flowers
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