The objectives of this study were: i) to isolate Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes in broiler wing meat samples, ii) to confirm the isolates by PCR, based on prs and hly A gene sequences, iii) to determine the seasonal and monthly distribution of the isolates. A total of 120 broiler wing meat samples (60 packaged pieces wrapped using strech film in styrofoam plates and 60 unpackaged pieces) bought from different markets in Hatay province were analysed. Listeria spp. was isolated from 57 (47.5%) out of 120 samples. Fifty-four, out of 57 Listeria spp. isolates were identified as L. monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes was isolated from the samples collected during the spring, winter, summer, and autumn at the levels of 26.6%, 40%, 53.3%, 60%, respectively. In this study, the isolation rates were found to be the highest in autumn, while the isolation rates were found to be the lowest in spring. As a consequence, high prevalence of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes in poultry wing meat samples may pose a risk for human health. We consider that with obeying the rules of good hygiene practices (GHP), good manufacturing practices (GMP) and HACCP can minimize the contamination with Listeria spp.Keywords: broiler wing meat; L. monocytogenes; Listeria spp.; hygienic quality.Practical Application: Taking hygienic measures in broiler flocks at farm level may minimize the contamination with Listeria.

In this study, the prevalence and distribution of various Arcobacter spp. were investigated in samples taken from the cloacae of healthy domestic geese raised in Turkey. A membrane filtration technique with a non-selective blood agar was employed after enrichment in Arcobacter enrichment broth (AEB) to isolate a wide range of Arcobacter spp. In addition, the isolates were characterized phenotypically and identified at species level using a multiplex-PCR assay. A total of 90 cloacal swab samples taken from geese, collected on three farms (18, 25, 47 samples, respectively), were examined. Of the samples examined, 16 (18%) were found positive for Arcobacter. One Arcobacter species was isolated from each bird. Of the 16 Arcobacter isolates, 7 (44%), 7 (44%) and 2 (12.5%) were identified by m-PCR as A. cryaerophilus, A. skirrowii and A. butzleri, respectively. The present study indicates that domestic geese can harbour a variety of Arcobacter spp. in their cloacae. The presence of Arcobacter in geese may be of significance as reservoirs in their dissemination. Detailed research is needed for better understanding of the epidemiology and zoonotic potential of this emerging pathogen. #

Arcobacter are an important pathogenic bacteria known as zoonosis. They are aerotolerant, Gram-negative bacteria that can grow under both aerobic and microaerophilic conditions, and optimally grow at 30 o C. They are motile and most strains are non-hemolytic. Arcobacter is one of the genera within the family Campylobacteraceae. Arcobacter butzleri, Arcobacter cryaerophilus, Arcobacter skirrowii, Arcobacter nitrofigilis, Arcobacter cibarius and Arcobacter halophilus are the most well known species in the genera (

The objectives of this study were: i) to detect the presence of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in raw milk, cheese, beef minced meat, and chicken meat samples; ii) to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates; and iii) to determine clonal relation among the isolates by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) method. Therefore, a total of 160 food samples were randomly collected between August 2014 and May 2015 in Hatay province, located in the southern Turkey. Twenty (12.5%) of the samples were found to be contaminated with S. aureus. A total of 40 isolates from the 20 positive samples were confirmed to be S. aureus by multiplex PCR based on 16S rRNA and nuc gene. The mec A gene was not detected in any of the S. aureus strains. In the present study, 39 out of 40 (97.5%) isolates were found to be resistant to one or more antibiotics. All of isolates were susceptible to gentamicin, oxacillin, and vancomycin. The highest resistance rate was detected in penicillin (95%) and ampicillin (92.5%), followed by tetracycline (30%), erythromycin (20%), ciprofloxacin (12.5%). Nine major patterns were determined by PFGE. In 6 of these patterns, thirty-six strains (90%) had identical PFGE profiles.

Campylobacter is one of the most common causes of bacterial foodborne diseases throughout the world. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and virulence of Campylobacter isolates of raw cow’s milk and cattle slaughterhouse wastewater samples in Hatay, Turkey. A total of 114 raw milk and 78 wastewater samples were analyzed for the identification of C. jejuni, C. coli, and C. lari by multiplex PCR. The overall prevalence of Campylobacter was found to be 7.2%, of these isolates, 85.7% were identified as C. jejuni and 14.2% as C. coli, but C. lari was not detected in the study. The cdtA and cadF genes were present in 66.6% and 41.6% of C. jejuni isolates tested, respectively, but wlaN gene was not found in any of the isolates. Results of antimicrobial resistance analysis showed that 71.4% of the isolates were resistant to erythromycin, 64.2% to tetracycline, and 57.1% to ciprofloxacin. Overall, 8 of 14 Campylobacter isolates (57.1%) showed a multidrug resistance.