<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><bold>Introduction:</bold> The toxinotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility of <italic>Clostridium perfringens</italic> strains isolated from processed chicken meat were determined.<bold>Material and Methods:</bold> Two hundred processed chicken meat samples from luncheon meats, nuggets, burgers, and sausages were screened for <italic>Clostridium perfringens</italic> by multiplex PCR assay for the presence of <italic>alpha</italic> (<italic>cpa</italic>), <italic>beta</italic> (<italic>cpb</italic>), <italic>epsilon</italic> (<italic>etx</italic>), <italic>iota</italic> (<italic>ia</italic>), and enterotoxin toxin (<italic>cpe</italic>) genes. The <italic>C. perfringens</italic> isolates were examined <italic>in vitro</italic> against eight antibiotics (streptomycin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, lincomycin, cefotaxime, rifampicin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole)<bold>Results:</bold> An overall of 32 <italic>C. perfringens</italic> strains (16%) were isolated from 200 processed chicken meat samples tested. The prevalence of <italic>C. perfringens</italic> was significantly dependent on the type of toxin genes detected (P = 0.0), being the highest in sausages (32%), followed by luncheon meats (24%), burgers (6%), and nuggets (2%). <italic>C. perfringens</italic> type A was the most frequently present toxinotype (24/32; 75%), followed by type D (21.9 %) and type E (3.1%). Of the 32 <italic>C. perfringens</italic> strains tested, only 9 (28%) were enterotoxin gene carriers, with most representing type A (n = 6). <italic>C. perfringens</italic> strains differed in their resistance/susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics. Most of the strains tested were sensitive to ampicillin (97%) and amoxicillin (94%), with 100% of the strains being resistant to streptomycin and lincomycin. It is noteworthy that the nine isolates with enterotoxigenic potential had a higher resistance than the non-enterotoxigenic ones.<bold>Conclusion</bold>: The considerably high <italic>C. perfringens</italic> isolation rates from processed chicken meat samples and resistance to some of the commonly used antibiotics indicate a potential public health risk. Recent information about the isolation of enterotoxigenic <italic>C. perfringens</italic> type E from chicken sausage has been reported.</abstract>

Introduction: The toxinotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens strains isolated from processed chicken meat were determined.Material and Methods: Two hundred processed chicken meat samples from luncheon meats, nuggets, burgers, and sausages were screened for Clostridium perfringens by multiplex PCR assay for the presence of alpha (cpa), beta (cpb), epsilon (etx), iota (ia), and enterotoxin toxin (cpe) genes. The C. perfringens isolates were examined in vitro against eight antibiotics (streptomycin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, lincomycin, cefotaxime, rifampicin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole)Results: An overall of 32 C. perfringens strains (16%) were isolated from 200 processed chicken meat samples tested. The prevalence of C. perfringens was significantly dependent on the type of toxin genes detected (P = 0.0), being the highest in sausages (32%), followed by luncheon meats (24%), burgers (6%), and nuggets (2%). C. perfringens type A was the most frequently present toxinotype (24/32; 75%), followed by type D (21.9 %) and type E (3.1%). Of the 32 C. perfringens strains tested, only 9 (28%) were enterotoxin gene carriers, with most representing type A (n = 6). C. perfringens strains differed in their resistance/susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics. Most of the strains tested were sensitive to ampicillin (97%) and amoxicillin (94%), with 100% of the strains being resistant to streptomycin and lincomycin. It is noteworthy that the nine isolates with enterotoxigenic potential had a higher resistance than the non-enterotoxigenic ones.Conclusion: The considerably high C. perfringens isolation rates from processed chicken meat samples and resistance to some of the commonly used antibiotics indicate a potential public health risk. Recent information about the isolation of enterotoxigenic C. perfringens type E from chicken sausage has been reported.

Toxinotyping and antimicrobial resistance of <italic>Clostridium perfringens</italic> isolated from processed chicken meat products

Department of Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 11221,

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National Research Centre, Giza 12622,

Journal of Veterinary Research

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Toxinotyping and antimicrobial resistance of  isolated from processed chicken meat products

Introduction: The toxinotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens strains isolated from processed chicken meat were...

Toxinotyping and antimicrobial resistance of Clostridium perfringens isolated from processed chicken meat products

Published Online: Apr 04, 2017

Page range: 53 - 58

Received: Sep 26, 2016

Accepted: Mar 08, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jvetres-2017-0007

Keywords
processed chicken meat, enterotoxin, antimicrobial resistance

© 2017 Dalia Hamza et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Toxinotyping and antimicrobial resistance of Clostridium perfringens isolated from processed chicken meat products

Published Online: Apr 04, 2017

Page range: 53 - 58

Received: Sep 26, 2016

Accepted: Mar 08, 2017

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jvetres-2017-0007

Keywordsprocessed chicken meat, enterotoxin, antimicrobial resistance

© 2017 Dalia Hamza et al., published by De Gruyter Open

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
processed chicken meat, enterotoxin, antimicrobial resistance