Mayada A.M. Abou Zeid - Department of Bacteriology, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Kafr El-Sheikh Regional Laboratory, Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt
AbdElhafez Samir - Department of Biotechnology, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Giza, Egypt
Asmaa Ezzat Hassan - Department of Food Hygiene, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt

Background and Aim: Bacillus cereus is accountable for several outbreaks of diseases spread by food. Therefore, the study aimed to use routine culture methods and direct PCR to detect the foodborne bacterial pathogen and its enterotoxins. Materials and Methods: In the present study, a total of ۷۵ Kibda sandwiches, Sausage sandwiches, Chicken Luncheons, Beef Meat luncheons, and Chicken shawarma (Fifteen samples of each) were collected from different places in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate, Egypt, from July to September ۲۰۲۲. isolation, identification, and rapid analysis by PCR were done to find Foodborne bacterial pathogens in samples. Results: Bacterial isolation revealed ۱۷ positive samples from different food types. From ۱۷ infected samples, ۴۰% were Kibda, ۲۶.۶% were Sausage, ۲۰% were Chicken luncheon, and ۱۳.۳% were positive for Meat luncheon and Chicken shawarma sandwiches. Using PCR to identify B. cereus from positive isolates (group A), ۸ isolates were detected having groEL, nhe & cytK genes amplified at ۵۳۳, ۷۶۶, and ۴۲۱ bp respectively. Also, the PCR, which was used to detection of Bacillus cereus directly in positive samples (group B) and revealed that ۸ B. cereus in samples with its enterotoxins genes nhe & cytK, while group C which represents some random food samples of negative isolation results revealed that ۳ samples were infected by Bacillus cereus. Conclusion: PCR assay was a sensitive & specific diagnostic tool in detecting Bacillus cereus with its enterotoxins genes directly from food samples, even in the presence of low numbers of B. cereus bacteria that traditional isolation and identification methods cannot detect.

PCR, B. cereus, groEL, nhe, cytK, PCR, B. cereus, groEL, nhe, cytK