Salmonella is one of the major causative agents of foodborne infections. Salmonellosis becomes more dangerous when strains resistant to several antib

Mycobacterium bovis is the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (BTB), the pathogen responsible for serious economic impact on the livestock sector. In order to obtain data on isolated M. bovis strains and assist in the control and eradication program for BTB, a cross sectional descriptive molecular epidemiology study in the Brazilian Midwest was conducted. Through spoligotyping and 24-loci MIRU-VNTR methods, 37 clinical isolates of M. bovis circulating in the region were analyzed, 10 isolated from the state of Mato Grosso, 12 from the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and 15 from the state of Goiás. The spoligotyping analysis identified 10 distinct M. bovis profiles (SB0121 n = 14, SB0295 n = 6, SB0140 n = 6, SB0881 n = 3, SB1144 n = 2, SB1145 n = 2, SB0134 n = 1, SB1050 n = 1, SB1055 n = 1, SB1136 n = 1) grouped in six clusters and four orphan patterns. The MIRU-VNTR 24-loci grouped the same isolates in six clusters and 22 unique orphan patterns, showing higher discriminatory power than spoligotyping. When associating the results of both techniques, the isolates were grouped in five clusters and 24 unique M. bovis profiles. Among the 24-loci MIRU-VNTR evaluated, two, ETR-A and QUB 11b loci, showed high discriminatory ability (h = ≥ 0.50), while MIRU 16, MIRU 27, ETR-B, ETR-C, Mtub21 and QUB 26 loci showed moderate ability (h = 0.33 or h = 0.49) and were the most effective in evaluating the genotypic similarities among the clinical M. bovis isolate samples. Herein, the 29 patterns found amongst the 37 isolates of M. bovis circulating in the Brazilian Midwest can be due to the animal movement between regions, municipalities and farms, thus causing the spread of various M. bovis strains in herds from Midwest Brazil.

Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a group of emerging pathogens that can cause human diseases, including hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and hemorrhagic colitis (HC). Monitoring slaughtering stages and checking contamination points are crucial for the production of safe food. In this context, the aim of this study was to verify contamination by STEC strains, to determine the contamination points and evaluate the resistance profile to 12 antimicrobials used in both veterinary and human medicine. A total of 80 samples were obtained from eight collection points (pen floor, rectum, hide, carcass swabs and esophagus, diaphragm, masseter, and retail beef tissue samples). The isolates were collected by dilution plating on MacConkey agar with sorbitol, cefixime, and tellurite and analyzed by multiplex polymerase chain reaction for virulence genes. Serotyping of non-O157 was performed, and testing for 12 antibiotics by disk diffusion was carried out. A total of 18 STEC strains were isolated, presenting different virulence profiles. Contamination by STEC was observed in the rectum (5/18), carcass surface (5/18), hide (3/18), diaphragm (2/18), retail beef (2/18), and masseter muscle (1/18). Pen floor swabs and esophagus tissues showed no STEC contamination. Moreover, three strains were identified as O26 and three as O113:H21 strains, which have been linked to HUS and HC outbreak cases in Brazil. All STEC isolates were susceptible to all evaluated antimicrobials, except streptomycin. The presence of STEC strains is a direct risk to the consumer, especially when isolated from retail beef, and contamination can occur during different slaughter stages. However, antimicrobial resistance profiles did not identify multidrug-resistant strains, limiting potential antimicrobial resistance transmission to other pathogens.

The Brazilian state of Mato Grosso is the largest producer and exporter of beef in the country, but few studies of relevance have been conducted to evaluate the microbiological safety of its products. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in export-approved beef from Mato Grosso and to characterize the isolates in terms of molecular properties and antimicrobial resistance. From a total of 50 samples analyzed, Listeria sp. was isolated in 18 (36% prevalence). Listeria monocytogenes was confirmed in 6 (12% prevalence). Among the serotype groups assessed by multiplex PCR, serotype 4 (4b, 4d or 4e) was the most prevalent. Although antibiotic resistance was not an issue, two strains isolated from different plants showed high resistance to sodium hypochlorite. Overall, this scenario causes concern because it puts at risk not only the Brazilian customer, but also the population of countries that import beef from Mato Grosso.