Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the L. monocytogenes occurrence and genetic diversity in three Belgian pork cutting plants. We specifically aim to identify harborage sites and niche locations where this pathogen might occur. A total of 868 samples were taken from a large diversity of food and non-food contact surfaces after cleaning and disinfection (C&D) and during processing. A total of 13% (110/868) of environmental ...

The introduction, transmission, and persistence of Listeria monocytogenes in Belgian beef slaughterhouses was investigated using genetic characterization. During slaughter, samples were taken of the hide, carcass, and environment to detect the pathogen. Remarkably, L. monocytogenes was massively present on the hide of incoming animals (93%; 112/120), regardless of their visual cleanliness, which implies high contamination pressure levels ...

Antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic residues can enter the environment when using animal manure as fertilizer. Twenty-five mixed beef cattle farmyard manure samples and 9 mixed fattening calf slurry samples from different farms across Belgium were investigated for the presence of 69 antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. Doxycycline, oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, flumequine and ...

Within Ethiopia, there is a lack of information on the genetic relatedness of Salmonella from cattle, beef, and diarrheic patients and its potential transmission from cattle to humans through consumption of contaminated beef. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and determine the serotypes, genetic relatedness, and antimicrobial resistance of Salmonella in cattle in two local slaughterhouses, in beef at retail shops, and ...

Salmonella contamination sources and transmission routes were studied in 5 Belgian poultry slaughterhouses. Samples from the slaughter and cutting line after cleaning and disinfection were collected, as well as neck skin samples and thighs during slaughter of the first flock. In total, 680 swab and water samples were taken from the slaughter line before slaughter. In all slaughterhouses, Salmonella was notwithstanding cleaning and ...

Proper elimination of bacterial endospores in foods and food processing environment is challenging because of their extreme resistance to various stresses. Often, sporicidal treatments prove insufficient to eradicate the contaminating endospore population as a whole, and might therefore serve as a selection pressure for enhanced endospore resistance. In the sporeforming Bacillus cereus group, Bacillus weihenstephanensis is an important food ...

Poultry is seen as the main reservoir for Campylobacter. Control of this zoonotic pathogen in primary production could potentially reduce the colonization in broiler flocks and consequently reduce the number of human infections. In the present study, 20 broiler flocks from 10 farms, were sampled immediately before and 5 to 7 d after partial depopulation (thinning) for the presence of Campylobacter using cecal droppings and overshoes. At the ...

To identify the major source of Salmonella contamination in a pig slaughterhouse, samples were collected from the clean and unclean area and Salmonella isolates were further typed. Carcasses entering the clean area showed a Salmonella contamination rate of 96.7% in the oral cavity and 55.0% in the rectum content samples. Evisceration seemed not to be critical as the contamination rate of the carcasses was similar before (16.7%) and after ...

Biosecurity seems to be the most promising tool for Campylobacter control on poultry farms. A longitudinal molecular epidemiological study was performed during two production cycles, in which the broilers, the poultry house, and the environment of 10 (mixed) broiler farms were monitored weekly. Cecal droppings from the second production cycle were also used for 16S metabarcoding to study the differences in the microbiota of colonized and ...