This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Vaerewijck, M. J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Houf, K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Vaerewijck, M. J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Houf, K.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Vaerewijck, M. J. M.
Right arrow Articles by Houf, K.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2008, p. 5741-5749, Vol. 74, No. 18
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00980-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Microscopic and Molecular Studies of the Diversity of Free-Living Protozoa in Meat-Cutting Plants{triangledown}

Mario J. M. Vaerewijck,1 Koen Sabbe,2 Julie Baré,1 and Kurt Houf1*

Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium,1 Laboratory of Protistology and Aquatic Ecology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium2

Received 30 April 2008/ Accepted 11 July 2008

The diversity of free-living protozoa in five meat-cutting plants was determined. Light microscopy after enrichment culturing was combined with sequencing of PCR-amplified, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)-separated 18S rRNA gene fragments, which was used as a fast screening method. The general results of the survey showed that a protozoan community of amoebae, ciliates, and flagellates was present in all of the plants. Protozoa were detected mainly in floor drains, in standing water on the floor, on soiled bars of cutting tables, on plastic pallets, and in out-of-use hot water knife sanitizers, but they were also detected on surfaces which come into direct contact with meat, such as conveyer belts, working surfaces of cutting tables, and needles of a meat tenderizer. After 7 days of incubation at refrigerator temperature, protozoa were detected in about one-half of the enrichment cultures. Based on microscopic observations, 61 morphospecies were found, and Bodo saltans, Bodo spp., Epistylis spp., Glaucoma scintillans, Petalomonas spp., Prodiscophrya collini, and Vannella sp. were the most frequently encountered identified organisms. Sequencing of DGGE bands resulted in identification of a total of 49 phylotypes, including representatives of the Amoebozoa, Chromalveolata, Excavata, Opisthokonta, and Rhizaria. Sequences of small heterotrophic flagellates were affiliated mainly with the Alveolata (Apicomplexa), Stramenopiles (Chrysophyceae), and Rhizaria (Cercozoa). This survey showed that there is high protozoan species richness in meat-cutting plants and that the species included species related to known hosts of food-borne pathogens.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. Phone: 32 (0)9 264 74 51. Fax: 32 (0)9 264 74 91. E-mail: Kurt.Houf{at}UGent.be

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 18 July 2008.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2008, p. 5741-5749, Vol. 74, No. 18
0099-2240/08/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.00980-08
Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Bare, J., Sabbe, K., Van Wichelen, J., van Gremberghe, I., D'hondt, S., Houf, K. (2009). Diversity and Habitat Specificity of Free-Living Protozoa in Commercial Poultry Houses. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75: 1417-1426 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»