TY - JOUR
T1 - Detection of toxigenic Bacillus cereus strains isolated from vegetables in Mexico City
AU - Flores-Urbán, Karen A.
AU - Natividad-Bonifacio, Iván
AU - Zquez-Quiñones, Carlos R.V.Á.
AU - Vázquez-Salinas, Carlos
AU - Quiñones-Ramírez, Elsa Irma
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright ©, International Association for Food Protection
PY - 2014/12/1
Y1 - 2014/12/1
N2 - Bacillus cereus can cause diarrhea and emetic syndromes after ingestion of food contaminated with it. This ability is due to the production of enterotoxins by this microorganism, these being the hemolysin BL complex, which is involved in the diarrheal syndrome, and cereulide, which is responsible for the emetic syndrome. The detection of genes associated with the production of these toxins can predict the virulence of strains isolated from contaminated food. In this paper, we analyzed 100 samples of vegetables, 25 of each kind (broccoli, coriander, carrot, and lettuce) obtained from different markets in Mexico City and its metropolitan area. B. cereus was isolated in 32, 44, 84, and 68% of the samples of broccoli, carrot, lettuce, and coriander, respectively. The hblA gene (encoding one of the three subunits of hemolysin BL) was amplified in 100% of the B. cereus isolates, and the ces gene (encoding the cereulide) could not be amplified from any of them. This is the first report of B. cereus isolation from the vegetables analyzed in this work and, also, the first report in Mexico of the isolation from vegetables of strains with potential virulence. The results should serve as evidence of the potential risk of consuming these foods without proper treatment.
AB - Bacillus cereus can cause diarrhea and emetic syndromes after ingestion of food contaminated with it. This ability is due to the production of enterotoxins by this microorganism, these being the hemolysin BL complex, which is involved in the diarrheal syndrome, and cereulide, which is responsible for the emetic syndrome. The detection of genes associated with the production of these toxins can predict the virulence of strains isolated from contaminated food. In this paper, we analyzed 100 samples of vegetables, 25 of each kind (broccoli, coriander, carrot, and lettuce) obtained from different markets in Mexico City and its metropolitan area. B. cereus was isolated in 32, 44, 84, and 68% of the samples of broccoli, carrot, lettuce, and coriander, respectively. The hblA gene (encoding one of the three subunits of hemolysin BL) was amplified in 100% of the B. cereus isolates, and the ces gene (encoding the cereulide) could not be amplified from any of them. This is the first report of B. cereus isolation from the vegetables analyzed in this work and, also, the first report in Mexico of the isolation from vegetables of strains with potential virulence. The results should serve as evidence of the potential risk of consuming these foods without proper treatment.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84916605666&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-13-479
DO - 10.4315/0362-028X.JFP-13-479
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 25474064
AN - SCOPUS:84916605666
SN - 0362-028X
VL - 77
SP - 2144
EP - 2147
JO - Journal of Food Protection
JF - Journal of Food Protection
IS - 12
ER -