Abstract
Background: Clostridium perfringens is one of the highest prevailing spore-forming foodborne pathogens, which is widely distributed and causes severe disease and outbreaks in humans and animals. Raw meat and poultry are the main vehicles of this pathogen. In this study, we investigated the prevalence, antibiotic resistance pattern, toxin-encoding genes and genetic diversity of C. perfringens isolates from raw whole and minced meat samples purchased from local markets in Qazvin city, Iran (the source of beef cattle production was also located in Qazvin city, Iran). Methods: We used conventional culture-based and Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion and conventional and arbitrary primer PCR methods. Results: A total of 18 C. perfringens strains were isolated from 133 raw meat samples (13.53%). Up to 44.4 and 55.5% of these isolates were detected in raw minced and whole meat samples, respectively. We found that 72.2, 66.6, 61.1, 37.8 and 33.3% of the C. perfringens isolates were resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol antibiotics, respectively. Multidrug resistance was found in 38% of the isolates. Among the four main toxin genes evaluated, the Cpa gene was detected in all isolates, and 61.1% of the isolates were mostly recognized as type A C. perfringens. High levels of genetic diversity were observed among the isolates, and they were classified into five distinct groups. Conclusions: The isolates from whole meat samples were more resistant to antibiotics. However, toxin genes were more detected in the isolates from minced meat samples. Our findings suggest that contamination of raw meat products with multidrug resistant C. perfringens could be regarded as one of the concerning pathogens in these products. Comprehensive monitoring of C. perfringens isolates is strongly recommended.
Highlights
Clostridium perfringens is a ubiquitous rod-shaped, Gram-positive, nonmotile anaerobe that grows rapidly and is one of the highest prevailing spore-forming pathogenic bacteria with a worldwide distribution [1]
C. perfringens were isolated from a total of 18 out of 133 (13.53%) raw meat samples
We conducted this research to determine the toxinotypes, antibiotic resistance and genotypic relationship among these properties in C. perfringens isolated from raw meat samples, as they are the main foods contaminated with this foodborne pathogen
Summary
Clostridium perfringens is a ubiquitous rod-shaped, Gram-positive, nonmotile anaerobe that grows rapidly and is one of the highest prevailing spore-forming pathogenic bacteria with a worldwide distribution [1]. It has been found in various environments and is present in foods (raw or cooked under anaerobic conditions), sewage, dust and soil. Raw meat and poultry are recognized as the main vehicles of the foodborne diseases caused by C. perfringens [2]. It is estimated that C. perfringens, known as one of the most prevalent bacterial pathogens, causes more than one million foodborne illnesses in the United States [1] This pathogen caused several foodborne disease outbreaks in Japan, England, Australia and Wales.
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