Cronobacter Support
04-23-2009, 05:05 PM
1st International Conference on Cronobacter Poster Abstract 3
Genotyping of Cronobacter species from infant formula production environments
Cronobacter (Enterobacter sakazakii) has been associated with rare cases of meningitis, bacteraemia and necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates. Infant formula has been identified as a possible route of ingestion and therefore manufacturers are keen to address this potential hazard within production facilities. Cronobacter spp. have been found in various foods, factories and home environments and appear to be normally innocuous ubiquitous organisms. However a clear contamination route for infant formula has not been established. In this study factory sites were surveyed for the presence and distribution of Cronobacter species. Samples were taken from finished products, raw materials and various manufacturing environments across two factory sites between 1/5-30/10/2007. Isolated Cronobacter spp. were genotyped using both PFGE and RAPD techniques and similarities between isolates from different locations and sample types were assessed. Over the course of the study a total of 153 Cronobacter isolates were obtained. These represented 71 PFGE pulsetypes, with 24 pulsetypes containing multiple isolates. The greatest diversity of PFGE pulsetypes occurred among the environmental and ingredient isolates, while a limited number appeared to be responsible for end product contamination. The RAPD profiles were less discriminatory than PFGE patterns. Examples of all recently proposed Cronobacter species were found during this study. Clonal isolates present in products could be matched to indistinguishable pulsetypes in raw materials and in the environment, however no strains were identified that were present in both the environment and raw materials. Cronobacter spp. are ubiquitous organisms found in factory environments and dried food materials. In this study raw materials are implicated as a source of contamination of infant food products. However it is not possible to conclude whether isolates found in the environment originated from or contaminated the products.
Carol Iversen1, Angelika Lehner1 Claudia Feer2, Karl Gschwend2 and Roger Stephan1
1Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland. 2QA and Food Safety Department, Hochdorf Nutritec AG, CH-6280 Hochdorf, Switzerland.
Genotyping of Cronobacter species from infant formula production environments
Cronobacter (Enterobacter sakazakii) has been associated with rare cases of meningitis, bacteraemia and necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates. Infant formula has been identified as a possible route of ingestion and therefore manufacturers are keen to address this potential hazard within production facilities. Cronobacter spp. have been found in various foods, factories and home environments and appear to be normally innocuous ubiquitous organisms. However a clear contamination route for infant formula has not been established. In this study factory sites were surveyed for the presence and distribution of Cronobacter species. Samples were taken from finished products, raw materials and various manufacturing environments across two factory sites between 1/5-30/10/2007. Isolated Cronobacter spp. were genotyped using both PFGE and RAPD techniques and similarities between isolates from different locations and sample types were assessed. Over the course of the study a total of 153 Cronobacter isolates were obtained. These represented 71 PFGE pulsetypes, with 24 pulsetypes containing multiple isolates. The greatest diversity of PFGE pulsetypes occurred among the environmental and ingredient isolates, while a limited number appeared to be responsible for end product contamination. The RAPD profiles were less discriminatory than PFGE patterns. Examples of all recently proposed Cronobacter species were found during this study. Clonal isolates present in products could be matched to indistinguishable pulsetypes in raw materials and in the environment, however no strains were identified that were present in both the environment and raw materials. Cronobacter spp. are ubiquitous organisms found in factory environments and dried food materials. In this study raw materials are implicated as a source of contamination of infant food products. However it is not possible to conclude whether isolates found in the environment originated from or contaminated the products.
Carol Iversen1, Angelika Lehner1 Claudia Feer2, Karl Gschwend2 and Roger Stephan1
1Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zürich, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland. 2QA and Food Safety Department, Hochdorf Nutritec AG, CH-6280 Hochdorf, Switzerland.