Occurrence of Bacillus cereus and Yersinia enterocolitica in South African retail meats

Abstract

Ground beef, chicken broilers and processed meats (Vienna sausages, ham, salami) obtained from supermarkets in the Pretoria area (South Africa) were tested for the presence of Bacillus cereus and Yersinia enterocolitica. B. cereus counts were carried out on Bacillus cereus -selective agar and confirmed by the rapid confirmation procedure. Y. enerocolitica was isolated on Y. enterocolitica -selective agar. Total aerobic counts were performed on all the samples. Out of 51 samples, B. cereus was recovered from one broiler, three salami and five Vienna sausage samples, but not from gound beef or ham samples. The levels of detection ranged from log101·0 to log103·1 g−1sample. Y. enterocolitica occurred in eight ground beef, eight broiler, one Vienna sausage and two ham samples. Our results emphasize the potential hazard of the presence of B. cereus and Y. enterolitica in meat and poultry products in South Africa. This necessitates the implementation of methods to prevent the entry or proliferation of these pathogens in meat products.