Isolation and Identification of Listeria monocytogenes from Retail Broiler Chicken Ready to Eat Meat Products in Sudan

Listeria species are widely distributed in environment and L. monocytogenes are the causal agent of Listeriosis, the disease that can be serious and fatal to human and animals. The objectives of this study were to detect, isolate and identify Listeria monocytogenes from retail broiler chicken ready to eat meat products in restaurants-Khartoum state, Sudan. A total of 250 retail broiler chicken ready to eat meat products were collected from restaurants in Khartoum State, 50 sample from frozen chicken burger, 50 sample from frozen chicken sausages, 50 sample from frozen chicken meat balls (kofta), 50 sample from chicken shawerma and 50 sample from chicken mortedella, Listeria spp. were isolated by the conventional International Organization for Standardization method and L. monocytogenes identified by biochemical test. The results showed that out of total 250 samples, 95 (38%) were found to be contaminated with Listeria spp. the isolation rate was as follows: L. monocytogenes (13.6%), L. ivanovi (20.8%), L. grayi (1.6%), L. seeligeri (0.8%) and L. welshimeri (1.2%). The results presented in this study indicate the contamination of retail broiler chicken ready to eat meat products with L. monocytogenes. This study reported the occurrence and distribution of L. monocytogenes and other Listeria species in retail meat products (frozen chicken burger, frozen chicken sausages, frozen chicken meat balls (kofta), chicken shawerma and chicken mortedella), purchased from restaurants in Khartoum state Sudan.