Prevalence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes in meat and meat products in Turkey

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella spp., Escherichia (E) coli O157:H7 and Listeria (L.) monocytogenes in 691 samples of raw meat (100 raw beef, 100 raw sheep, 175 raw poultry, 178 ground beef) and meat products (138 sausages). All foods were obtained from producers and retailers in six provinces (Bursa, Balikesir, Canakkale, Bilecik, Sakarya and Yalova) of the southern Marmara region of Turkey. Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes were detected in 4.6% and 5.5% of the samples, respectively. E coli O157:H7 was not detected in any meat and meat product samples. The results indicate that meat and meat products present a potential hazard for public health and essential precautions should be taken to ensure improving the quality of production technology.