Prevalence of foodborne pathogens in meat samples in Palestine

Foodborne diseases occur worldwide, including those acquired through the consumption of contaminated meat. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella and Escherichia coli pathotypes in different meat types. Forty meat samples fresh (n=35) and frozen (n=5) were purchased from local markets in Jenin district, Palestine. Multiplex PCR was used to detect enterotoxigenic S. aureus, Salmonella and E. coli pathotypes. Total mesophilic aerobic bacterial count ranged between 4.3 log10 to 5.7 log10 cfu/g for frozen meat and 6.95 log10 to 7.78 log10 cfu/g for fresh meat. The prevalence of S. aureus, Salmonella and E. coli was 30%, 25% and 95%, respectively. Among tested S. aureus strains 75% were enterotoxigenic. Two other samples of non S. aureus (FemA-) were enterotoxigenic; one was sec+ and the other was see+. The results also showed that 89.5% of meat samples contaminated with E. coli that belonge to enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), diffuse adherent E. coli (DAEC) pathotypes. According to these results, it is recommended to establish a suitable surveillance program for microbial contamination with all foodborne pathogens.