An investigation of hygiene practices in butcheries and the prevalence of antibiotic resistant Listeria monocytogenes in Limpopo, South Africa

MSCFST

Department of Food Science and Technology

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterial pathogen associated with serious public health and food safety problems. It is an intracellular microbe that causes Listeriosis, a life-threatening disease that yields to bacteremia, meningitis, and spontaneous miscarriage. This study aimed to conduct the survey and investigate the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of L. monocytogenes from butcheries (village & commercial) and supermarkets beef plate meat in the Vhembe district. Evaluation of meat safety practices and hygiene among different butcheries and supermarkets was conducted using a questionnaire. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes in retail beef plate meat was determined on chromogenic agar and the antibiotics susceptibility was examined from L. monocytogenes isolates using the well diffusion method. The results of this study revealed that (i) some supermarkets followed the meat safety practices and hygiene, whereas there was a combination of good and unhygienic meat handling practices identified at commercial and village butcheries (ii) L. monocytogenes were identified in high numbers however some other species of Listeria such as L. ivanovii and L. innocua were found in beef plate meat (iii) The Listeria isolates were resistant to a wide range of antibiotics used to treat human listeriosis such as ampicillin, tetracycline and nalidixic acid in large numbers while a few of the isolates were susceptible to sulphamethoxazole and intermediary responsive to oxytetracycline and chlortetracycline. The findings from this study concluded that some supermarkets follow the safety procedures while commercial and village butcheries do not follow the procedures and regulations, furthermore, the prevalence of the pathogenic L. monocytogenes may harm the communities around Vhembe district. Moreover, treatment in case of an outbreak may become burdensome as the pathogen may be resistant to antimicrobial treatment. It is recommended that intervention through training on food safety to improve the hygienic practices of meat handling along the beef supply chain, more especially within commercial and village butcheries be conducted, also L. monocytogenes control measures from relevant authorities need to be put in place, meat must be prepared adequately, and antibiotics must be utilized appropriately. In addition, conducting molecular research on Listeria species to determine the virulence genes present in L. monocytogenes isolated from retail beef, to keep track of the type of strains of Listeria that may be circulating in the Vhembe district is recommended.

National Research Foundation (NRF)