Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Listeria Spp. Isolated from Ready-to-Eat Foods in Ankara

Abstract: In this study the presence of Listeria spp. is tested in 100 ready-to-eat food samples purchased from different stores and traditional food shops in the province of Ankara. The tested materials were 20 each of the following: mayonnaise based salad, kad›nbudu köfte (fried meatball), fried liver, rice stuffed mussel, and green salad. Microbiological analyzes showed that 13 of 100 salad samples (13%) were contaminated with Listeria spp. while 10 of 100 salad samples (10%) were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Among these, 4 of 20 mayonnaise based salad samples (20%), 1 of 20 fried liver (5%), 1 of 20 rice stuffed mussel (5%), 1 of 20 kad›nbudu köfte samples (5%), and 6 of 20 green salad samples (30%) were positive for Listeria spp. All isolated and identified strains were susceptible to chloramphenicol, trimethoprim, tetracycline, and tobramycin while they were resistant to rifampine.