Detección molecular de Salmonella spp., Listeria spp. y Brucella spp. en queso artesanal fresco comercializado en Barranquilla: un estudio piloto

Abstract

Introduction: Each year approximately 3 million people die as the result of foodborne diseases. The fresh artisan (handmade) cheese produced and distributed in the Colombian Caribbean region is a native product from the departments of Córdoba, Sucre, Bolívar, Atlántico, Magdalena, Cesar, and La Guajira. Its mass consumption increases the risk of infection with Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and Brucella spp., as it is made with a very rustic technology, with unpasteurized cow milk, without standardized and hygienic procedures and its storage is inadequate. Objective: To detect the presence of Salmonella spp., Listeria spp., and Brucella spp. in samples of fresh artisan cheese from the Colombian Caribbean region. Materials and methods: Twenty-seven samples of cheese from five departments of the Caribbean Region (Atlántico (n=6), Bolívar (n=2), Córdoba (n=1), Magdalena (n=16), and Sucre (n=2)) were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Seventeen of the samples corresponded to soft cheese, five to semi-hard cheese and five to hard cheese. Results: In 62.9% (17/27) of the samples we detected Salmonella spp., in 70.4% (19/27), Listeria spp., and in 22.2% (6/27), Brucella spp., mainly from the department of Magdalena. In 62.5% (10/16) of the samples we detected Salmonella spp. and Listeria spp. while in the department of Atlántico, 50% (3/6) of the samples corresponded to Brucella spp. Conclusion: The results confirmed the presence of these microorganisms in all the samples of soft cheese from the Colombian Caribbean region.

Low Seroprevalence Of Brucella Spp. Among Remote Colombian Communities From The Sierra Nevada De Santa Marta

“…A molecular study in the Colombian Caribbean region found 22.2% (6/27) of cheese samples made from unpasteurized cow milk to be positive for Brucella spp. DNA 34 . B. abortus is the only species previously identified in livestock from Colombia, with herd-level seroprevalence reported between 22.0% -27.5% [35][36][37][38][39] .…”

Farm Prevalence of Bovine Brucellosis, Farmer Awareness, and Local Practices in Small- and Medium-Scale Cattle Farms in a Tropical Region of Ecuador

“…Considering that a third of the farmers interviewed in this study marketed curdled milk and about 90% fresh cheese, including those whose farms were positive for brucellosis, this practice constitutes a danger not only for the farmers but also for those who consume the products in urban centers. In Colombia, the presence of Brucella has been confirmed in samples of fresh artisanal cheese [57]. In an outbreak of Brucella melitensis in humans reported in Spain [58], 81 human cases had a strong association with the consumption of fresh cheese made by an artisan in an establishment without control.…”

Brucelosis bovina y humana en el sur de México: Una zoonosis desatendida

“…Como se observa, en México existe normatividad oficial para la vigilancia sanitaria de alimentos; no obstante, al no incluir al género Brucella constituye un alto riesgo y una vía de trasmisión de la brucelosis a los humanos a partir del ganado bovino en estados del sur del país como Chiapas. Esta situación también se documentó en otros países de Latinoamérica como es el caso de Colombia, donde la Norma Técnica Colombiana 750 55 tampoco incorpora la vigilancia sanitaria de este patógeno zoonótico, aunque estudios en el país como los realizados por Soto y cols. 56 , han demostrado la existencia de Brucella en queso artesanal fresco de consumo masivo, además de otros microorganismos patógenos.…”