Predictive assessment of Arcobacter butzleri in retail beef and mutton meat

Arcobacter species are Gram-negative rods that have been implicated in food and water borne illness.The purpose of this study is to detect Arcobacter butzleri that has been recognized as emerging foodborne pathogens.
Arcobacter is considered as a food borne emergent pathogen able to cause disease among human and animals. The wide distribution and high prevalence of Arcobacter in food is becoming a concern, since consumption of contaminated food and water is considered as the most important route of Arcobacter transmission to human being. In this work ,a total of 100 random fresh retail beef and mutton (50 of each) samples were purchased from different butcher’s shops in Benha city, Kaliobia government, Egypt. Each sample was kept in a separate sterile plastic bag , preserved in an ice box then labeled and transferred to the laboratory under complete aseptic conditions. The collected samples were examined as rapidly as possible to detect their contamination with Arcobacter species. A.butzleri was recorded at 3(6%) and 4 (8%) of examined beef and mutton samples. The seven isolated strains of suspected A.butzleri were biochemically identified and then further identified through subjected to PCR confirmation and revealed that presence of some putative virulence genes of A.butzleri such as fibronectin-binding protein gene (cadF) and Iron-regulated outer membrane protein gene ( irgA).
The strains were also examined for antibiotic sensitivity and showed that strains were highly resistance to streptomycin and were sensitive to meropenem.