Clostridioides difficile in raw mechanically separated poultry meat and pasteurized product made from contaminated meat.

Abstract

Objectives: Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is an important foodborne pathogen found in a wide range of products. This study investigated the occurrence of C. difficile in mechanically separated chicken and turkey meat (MSM) and in pasteurized products made from contaminated MSM.

Methods: The presence of C. difficile was analyzed in 56 MSM samples (32 from turkey and 24 from chicken) and in six pasteurized meat products made from raw meats previously identified as C. difficile-positive. After enrichment, detection was performed by real-time PCR, and isolation by bacterial cultivation. The isolated strains were then characterized by PCR-ribotyping, toxinotyping, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS).

Results: C. difficile was detected in 16.1 % of MSM samples via real-time PCR, with a 10.7 % isolation rate. One pasteurized product also tested positive. The six isolates obtained displayed diverse PCR-ribotypes, five of which were toxigenic. Notably, the PCR-ribotypes and sequence types in the pasteurized product differed from those identified in the raw meat used for its production.

Conclusions: The presence of C. difficile in raw and subsequently pasteurized meat product indicates that the pathogen can survive the pasteurization process and may be present in such products.