Resumo

MOLINA, Noreldy; MILLAN, Beatriz  e  ARAQUE, María. Sanitary quality indicators and phenotyping of Salmonella enterica isolated from raw chickens marketed in urban area of Mérida, Venezuela. Infect. [online]. 2010, vol.14, n.3, pp.174-185. ISSN 0123-9392.

Objectives: Evaluate the sanitary quality of raw chicken sold in the urban area of the State of Merida, Venezuela and characterize the phenotype of isolated Samonella enterica strains. Materials and methods: A total of 45 raw chicken samples were studied; 15 of them were without seasoning, 15 were with seasoning, and 15 were industrially processed. The following sanitary quality indicators were assessed: Mesophiles Aerobic Bacteria (MAB), total coliforms, E. coli and S. aureus, and the Venezuelan Commission of Industrial Norms methodology was used for that purpose. Microbiological and serological identification of Salmonella was carried out using conventional techniques. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the detection of extended-spectrum β- lactamases (ESBLs) was carried out by using the double disc synergy test. Susceptibility to disinfectants was determined by the dilution-neutralization method. Results. Regardless of the (not industrial) samples’ characteristics and/or the commercial establishment, it was determined that the ranges for MAB, total coliform, E. coli and S. aureus counts significantly exceeded limits of acceptability. Strains of Salmonella enterica were isolated in 20% of the samples, whose distribution showed that serovars Heidelberg (55.6%) and Enteritidis (22.2%) were the most frequent. These serovars showed multi-resistance to antibiotics and ESBLs production but were susceptible to the tested disinfectants. Conclusion. This study showed that raw chickens, with and without seasoning, processed in the surveyed commercial establishments do not meet the required microbiological quality standards suitable for human consumption. Therefore, these are short-term perishable products and a haven for important pathogens that threaten consumer health.

Palavras-chave : Sanitary quality; chicken; Salmonella enterica; Venezuela.

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