The Presence of Yersinia enterocolitica and Other Yersinia Species in Ground Beef in Aydın, Turkey

Authors: BELGİN SIRIKEN

Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Y. enterocolitica and other Yersinia species in raw ground beef samples and to determine their potential virulence. For this purpose, 61 ground beef samples purchased from 15 different butcher's shops and 3 supermarkets in Aydın province in Turkey were examined between June 2000 and January 2001. The presence of Y. enterocolitica and other Yersinia species was determined using 2 stage enrichment procedures including pre-enrichment (cold) and selective enrichment procedures. All positive cultures of Y. enterocolitica were also tested for markers of virulence including hydrolysis of esculin, fermentation of salicin, calcium binding, crystal violet and Congo red binding assays. Yersinia spp. were detected in 20 of 61 (32.8%) samples. Among the positive samples, 17 (27.9%) were identified as Y. enterocolitica, 2 (3.3%) as Y. intermedia and 1 (1.6%) as Y. frederiksenii. As a result of virulence marker tests, none of the Y. enterocolitica isolates were presumptively virulent.

Keywords: Ground beef, Yersinia spp., Yersinia enterocolitica, pathogenicity

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