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Identification and frequency of Listeria monocytogenes in vegetables and ready to eat salads of Tehran, Iran
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Mohammad Mahdi Soltan Dallal   1, Maryam Shojaei-Zinjanab2 , Fatemeh Hedayati Rad3 |
1- Tehran University of Medical Sciences , msoltandallal@gmail.com
2- Tehran University of Medical Sciences
3- Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran |
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Abstract: (5656 Views) |
| Background and Aim: Vegetables are considered as one of the main components of food basket and their consumption is on the rise. Meanwhile, disease outbreaks due to this group of food stuffs have been on the increase. Listeria is a bacteria related to disease outbreaks due to consumption of vegetables and salad. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Listeria in vegetables and salads consumed in Tehran.
Material and Methods: This is a descriptive study conducted from May to October 2013. 100 samples from different kinds of salads collected from different restaurants and 100 samples of 10 different types of vegetables were obtained from the city green groceries. Samples were examined according to FDA protocol.
Results: 48 isolates (24%) of Listeria were identified by use of phenotypic tests from which 15 isolates (7.5%) were related to salads of restaurants and delicatessens and 33 isolates (16.5%) were related to vegetable samples. Only 1 isolate (0.5%) of Listeria monocytogenes was obtained from a ready to eat mixed leafy vegetable sample and the rest belonged to other Listeria species.
Conclusions: The results of this study showed that consumption of raw vegetables is one of the main ways of transmission of Listeria. Therefore, health education on avoidance of consumption of raw and unwashed vegetables is necessary.
Keywords: Listeria, Vegetables, Salad, Outbreak
Received: Nov 26, 2014 Accepted: Feb 1, 2015 |
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| Keywords: Listeria, Vegetables, Salad, Outbreak |
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Full-Text [PDF 966 kb]
(1504 Downloads)
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Type of Study: Original Research |
Subject:
General
Received: 2015/04/27 | Accepted: 2015/04/27 | Published: 2015/04/27
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