Prevalence, identification and antimicrobial resistance ofListeria monocytogenesandListeriaspp. isolated from poultry and pork meat

Abstract

SummaryThe aim of this work was to evaluate the prevalence ofListeria monocytogenesand otherListeriaspp. in chicken, duck, quail, turkey and pork meat, including the antibiotic resistance of isolated strains. A total of 184 meat samples were collected from different retailers in La Rioja (Spain). The presence ofListeriaspp. andL. monocytogeneswere detected in 24.46% and 10.32% of the meat samples respectively.L. monocytogeneswas the predominantListeriaspp. found in chicken, quail and pork meat, whileL. innocuaandL. welshimeriwere the predominant species in duck and turkey meat respectively. A total of thirty‐three strains (55.93%) ofListeriaspp. were found to be multi‐resistant (resistant to ≥3 families of antibiotics). The highest multi‐resistant rates were observed inL. monocytogenes(73.68%) and L. innocua(70.59%), followed byL. ivanovii(50%). Resistance to ampicillin and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole were found inL. monocytogenesstrains isolated from chicken, being of special concern, since these antibiotics are used in the treatment of listeriosis. Special measures should be taken to reduce meat contamination such as adequate handling, correct preparation (cooking) and cleaning and disinfection in order to avoid cross‐contamination.