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http://dx.doi.org/10.9721/KJFST.2021.53.6.799

Distribution of foodborne pathogens in red pepper and environment  

Jung, Jieun (Microbial Safety Division, Department of Agro-food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration)
Seo, Seung-Mi (Microbial Safety Division, Department of Agro-food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration)
Yang, SuIn (Crop Protection Division, Department of Agro-food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration)
Jin, Hyeon-Suk (Microbial Safety Division, Department of Agro-food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration)
Jung, Kyu-Seok (Gyeonggi-do Agricultural Research & Extension Services)
Roh, Eunjung (Crop Protection Division, Department of Agro-food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration)
Jeong, Myeong-In (Microbial Safety Division, Department of Agro-food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration)
Ryu, Jae-Gee (Planning and Coordination Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration)
Ryu, Kyoung-Yul (Microbial Safety Division, Department of Agro-food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration)
Oh, Kwang Kyo (Microbial Safety Division, Department of Agro-food Safety and Crop Protection, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration)
Publication Information
Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology / v.53, no.6, 2021 , pp. 799-808 More about this Journal
Abstract
This study was performed to investigate the extent of microbial contamination, the presence of enterotoxin genes, and the antibiotic susceptibility of Bacillus cereus in 58 red pepper plants and 43 environmental samples (soil, irrigation water, and gloves) associated with the plant cultivation. The detected counts of total aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus were lower in these samples, as compared to the regulations of standards for foods; moreover, pathogens, such as E. coli, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp., were not detected. Genes encoding hemolysin BL enterotoxins (hblA, hblC, and hblD) as well as non-hemolytic enterotoxins (nheA, nheB, and nheC) were detected in 23 B. cereus specimens that were isolated from the test samples and had β-hemolytic activity. Interestingly, B. cereus is resistant to β-lactam and susceptible to non-β-lactam antibiotics. However, in this case, the isolated B. cereus specimens exhibited a shift from resistant to intermediate in response to cefotaxime and from susceptible to intermediate in case of rifampin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, vancomycin, clindamycin, and erythromycin. Therefore, the levels of B. cereus should be monitored to detect changes in antibiotic susceptibility and guarantee their safety.
Keywords
red pepper; cultivation environment; pathogenic bacteria; enterotoxin; antibiotics;
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