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P1-98 Shedding of Foodborne Pathogens by Slaughtered Reindeer in Northern Finland

Monday, July 10, 2017
Exhibit Hall (Tampa Convention Center)
Claudio Zweifel , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
Sauli Laaksonen , University of Helsinki , Helsinki , Finland
Lisa Fierz , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
Nicole Cernela , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
Maria Fredriksson-Ahomaa , University of Helsinki , Helsinki , Finland
Roger Stephan , )Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, , Zurich , Switzerland
Introduction: Various food-producing animals were recognized, in recent years, as healthy carriers of bacterial pathogens causing human illness. In northern Finland, the husbandry of reindeer is a traditional livelihood with meat as the main product. However, microbiological data from reindeer are limited.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the shedding of Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Yersinia spp., and Escherichia coli O157 by semidomesticated Finish reindeer at slaughter.

Methods: Fecal samples from 470 slaughtered reindeer (between six and seven months old) were examined for Salmonella spp. (ISO 6579:2007-10), L. monocytogenes (ISO 11290-1:2005-01), and Yersinia spp. (CIN agar). Moreover, samples were screened by real-time PCR (after enrichment) for Shiga toxin genes (stx) and, if positive, for the serogroup O157. Escherichia coli O157 isolates were serotyped, characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), and tested for sorbitol fermentation, stx1 and stx2 (and subtypes), eae (intimin), and hlyA (hemolysin).

Results: Salmonella spp., L. monocytogenes, Yersinia spp., and stx genes were detected in 0, 3, 10, and 33% of the samples, respectively. The 15 L. monocytogenes isolates belonged to serotypes 1/2a and 4b. The 46 Yersinia spp. isolates were, mainly, identified as Yersinia kristensenii and Yersinia enterocolitica. Of the 153 stx-positive samples, 20% tested positive for the serogroup O157. The 25 obtained E. coli O157:H- (nonmotile, but fliCH7-positive) isolates belonged to the MLST sequence type 11. Twenty-four E. coli O157:H- isolates, which originated from one geographic area, did not ferment sorbitol and harbored stx1a, stx2c, eae, and hlyA. The sorbitol-fermenting E. coli O157:H- isolate (stx-, eae+, hlyA+, sfpA+) closely resembled a strain having lost stx.

Significance: Semidomesticated reindeer might be carriers of bacterial foodborne pathogens and constitute a so far little noticed reservoir for E. coli O157:H7/H-. Strict compliance with good practices of slaughter hygiene is, therefore, crucial to prevent foodborne pathogens from entering the food chain.

Back to: Poster Session 1 – Viruses and Parasites, Beverages and Acid/Acidified Foods, Preharvest Food Safety, General Microbiology, Food Defense, Food Law and Regulation, Food Safety Systems, Food Processing Technologies, Modeling and Risk Assessment, Sanitation and Hygiene, and Antimicrobials
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