The present investigation was undertaken to study the occurrence of enterotoxigenic B. cereus from 200 samples including 100 raw milk, 50pasteurized milk and 50 ice cream samples sold in Puducherry. The results revealed that 68 samples (34 %) belonged to B. cereus group which included 36 from raw milk (36%), 9 from pasteurized milk (18%) and 23 from ice cream samples (46 %). On PCR analysis, 64 out of 68 isolates showed the presence of gyrB gene which differentiates B. cereus from B. cereus group isolates. Multiplex PCR revealed the presence of four enterotoxigenic genes hblA, nheA, cytK and entF Min 32.35 %, 77.94 %>, 54.41 % and 94.12% of the 64 isolates. On biofilm production assay, out of 64 enterotoxigenic B. cereus isolates, 60 (93.75 %) isolates showed the ability to form biofilm in which 13 (20.31 %) were strong, 21 (32.81 %) were moderate and26 (40.63 %) were weak biofilm producers. All the isolates were resistant to ampicillin and penicillin G and sensitive to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, vancomycin, streptomycin and norfloxacin. The current study directs the need for proper hygienic measures during collection, production, processing and storage of milk to reduce the contamination level. It also indicates the need for surveillance and action to reduce the contamination of enterotoxigenic B. cereus in milk and milk products in Puducherry.

Two hundreds of different food samples i.e. cream, beef meat, frozen beef meat, burger,cooked rice and minced rice were collected from local markets in Basrah city. The testedsamples of each food type were found to be contaminated with Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) in aratio of 36.36 % for cream, 26.47 % for beef meat, 50 % for frozen beef meat, 36.36 % forburger, 18.18 % for cooked rice and 51.51 % for minced rice. Mannitol egg-yolk agar (MYP)supplemented with polymyxin B sulfate is a selective media used for isolation. Identification ofthe isolate was done by detection of 16SrDNA and conformed by sequencing. Antimicrobialsusceptibility test was used for screening the isolates, which were resistance to tetracycline.Bacillus cereus isolates were resistance to tetracycline TE 30 mg/disc (100 %) in cream and (0%) in cooked rice. Polymerase chain reaction was used for detection of the presence oftetracycline resistance gene in the percentage 32 % and 44% for tet (K) and tet (L), respectively.

Objective: The study was designed to show the effect of adding different levels of dried fruit extracts for 14 days on sensory and chemical parameters in dairy drinks. The survival of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus cereus in artificially contaminated dairy drinks fortified with these extracts was also studied. Materials and Methods: The freshly watery extracts and nonaqueous extracts of dried fruits were prepared by rotary evaporators and solvents, respectively. The determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration of dried fruit extracts was achieved using the disc diffusion test. The sensory evaluation of samples was done, while the chemical parameters of the examined samples were determined by the calibrated analyzer. In addition, the degree of survival of P. aeruginosa and B. cereus in inoculated milk samples was also estimated. Results: In pasteurized and Rayeb milk samples, the water extract of carob and all alcoholic dried fruit extracts had a significant effect on compositional parameters in comparison to control samples. At day 14 of pasteurized milk storage, the watery (20.0%) and alcoholic (10.0%) extracts of carob significantly improved its sensory parameters. Conclusion: Based on the survival results, all utilized dried fruit extracts had a significant inhibitory effect on P. aeruginosa and B. cereus growth in the fortified milk samples at the end of storage. This trial of the survival of these new dairy drinks is the first investigation, particularly in the Middle East. Extracts of utilized dried fruits have prospective functions that enhance dairy drink characteristics. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2024; 11(1.000): 55-64]