Presence of Listeria monocytogenes in fresh artisanal cheese marketed in Cali-Colombia

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of the foodborne illness called listeriosis. The invasive form of this disease can cause meningoencephalitis, septicemia and spontaneous abortions. The consumption of food contaminated with this bacterium is the main route of infection, and the fresh artisanal cheeses cause the greatest concern in public health. In this study, different types of fresh artisanal cheeses (campesino, costeño, cuajada, doble crema, mozarella and pastuso) were collected in market squares in Cali (Alameda, El Cortijo, La Floresta and Santa Elena) and analyzed using the VIDAS® and VITEK®2 platforms to detect and identify L. monocytogenes. According to the results obtained from 126 fresh artisanal cheeses analyzed in the different market squares, 27% were positive for L. monocytogenes. Among the positive samples, cuajada had the highest number of positive samples for L. monocytogenes with 44.1%. Alameda with 62% of positive samples for L. monocytogenes had the highest number of positive samples among all market squares evaluated. This study represents the first evaluation of the presence of L. monocytogenes in fresh artisanal cheeses marketed in the most important market squares of Cali. Accordingly, this study pretends to generate an alert about the urgent need to implement surveillance and control mechanisms of L. monocytogenes in the manufacture and commercialization of food, considering that Colombian legislation does not currently establish the obligatory for surveillance of L. monocytogenes in fresh cheeses. © 2019 Universidad Nacional de Colombia. All rights reserved.