Determinación de Campylobacter spp. en muestras de carne de pollo que se expenden en el cantón Ambato

Abstract

Chicken meat is a widely consumed food worldwide, while it is accessible to the majority of the population; Ecuador is a country that produces and consumes chicken meat. Being a food with an environment conducive to microbial growth, it tends to have pathogens that harm humans. Campylobacter spp. It is a gram negative bacterium that causes ETA and it is common to find it in chicken meat, its study being essential in the poultry industry and food safety. The purpose of this study was to determine Campylobacter spp. in chicken meat sold at authorized and informal points of sale in the Ambato canton, Tungurahua, Ecuador. Microbiological tests such as growth at 42 °C on Campylobacter selective agar, motility, Gram staining, and biochemical tests such as oxidase, catalase, and molecular identification were performed. Preliminarily, 6 (13.3%) and 5 (11.1%) positive samples were obtained from authorized and informal points, respectively. When performing molecular identification, no sample was positive for Campylobacter spp. Finally, the samples obtained contained microorganisms such as Enterococcus faecalis, Lactococcus garvieae, Enterococcus gallinarum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Aeromonas veronni. Risk factors related to chicken meat such as meat conservation, vendor protection measures, and premises hygiene indicate the predisposition of chicken meat to contamination, both in authorized premises and in informal premises.