Relevance of food bacterial zoonoses in the Dnipropetrovsk Region (Ukraine) during 2020

Abstract

When the world is facing an unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of animal disease surveillance has become apparent. A significant proportion of new and existing human diseases are zoonoses. Microbiological researches remain relevant today. They guarantee the quality of food raw materials and products, as well as identify sources of infection. The aim of our work was to study the spread of foodborne bacterial zoonoses in the Dnipropetrovsk region during 2020. The study used the methods provided by DSTU ISO 6887-2:2005, DSTU ISO 4833:2006, DSTU ISO 4832:2015, DSTU EN 12824:2004, DSTU ISO 11290-1:2003, DSTU 7444:2013, DSTU ISO 6888-2:2003, DSTU ISO 7937:2006. As a result of the study of the epidemic situation regarding outbreaks of acute intestinal infectious diseases and food poisoning in 2020 in Ukraine, 52 cases were investigated, including cases in which children have been affected (43.8%). In the etiological structure, the largest share of outbreaks caused by salmonella (34.6%) and outbreaks of viral etiology (25%) was observed. The registration of outbreaks of human salmonellosis in 82% of regions in Ukraine proves that geographical conditionality, climatic conditions, species structure of farm animals and the level of socio-economic status of the population are important factors in the development of the disease. The presence of positive for animal salmonellosis localities also demonstrates the constant spread of this zoonosis in Ukraine, which causes contamination by these bacteria of food products of animal origin and environmental objects. The dominance of the Dnipropetrovsk Region in 2020 in the number of outbreaks of acute intestinal infectious diseases contributed to a detailed investigation of bacteriological studies of raw materials of animal origin and food products, which revealed 2.56% of non-compliant samples, where the highest percentage of violations of safety criteria was poultry products. Thus, high-risk products included semi-finished products and culinary products from meat, in particular poultry; minced meat and mechanically rolled meat, as well as ready-to-eat meat products — sausages, namely poultry, and eggs. Poultry products of seven types (n = 3,226) were analyzed for the presence of sanitary-indicative microflora (coliform bacteria, mesophilic aerobic and facultative-anaerobic microorganisms), opportunistic microflora (coagulase-positive staphylococci, Proteus, sulfite-reducing clostridia), and pathogenic microflora (bacteria of the genera Salmonella, Listeria). The percentage of samples that did not meet the requirements of regulatory documentation by indicators was: mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms up to 10.92%; coliform bacteria — up to 3.90%. Pathogenic contaminants of poultry products of domestic Ukrainian production were: Salmonella Enteritidis (up to 4.20%), Listeria monocytogenes — 12.50%. The paper shows problematic in 2020 nosological forms in the structure of pathogens of food bacterial zoonoses and identifies their potential sources. Microbiological studies have shown that the contaminants of poultry products of domestic Ukrainian production in the Dnipropetrovsk Region were sanitary-indicative (coliform bacteria, mesophilic aerobic and facultative-anaerobic microorganisms), opportunistic pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, sulfite-reducing clostridia), and pathogenic microflora (bacteria of the genera Salmonella, Listeria). The author has monitored the geographical serotypic predisposition of Salmonella, which is due to the prevalence of O-group D in the Dnipropetrovsk Region, and the possibility of their passage through the food chain. It was found that minced meat and meat of mechanical deboning from poultry is one of the factors of transmission of a potentially pathogenic for humans and animals species of Listeria — L. monocytogenes in the region