Research Article: Risk assessment of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from food contact surfaces in seafood pre-processing plants: A potential threat to value-added processed seafood in India

Vibrio parahaemolyticus, autochthonous to marine and estuarine environment, is responsible for foodborne outbreaks associated with seafood. In the present study, a total of ۵۲ V. parahaemolyticus strains isolated from various food contact surfaces in seafood pre-processing units located in Cochin were screened for antimicrobial resistance, virulence and biofilm forming capability as part of risk assessment. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was detected in ۹۴.۲۳% of the strains with higher resistance to ampicillin and colistin. Virulence related trh and tdh genes were present in ۳۰.۷۶% and ۳.۸۴% of the isolates, respectively. Among the T۳SS genes, T۳SS۱ and T۳SS۲β were present in ۷۵% and ۲۳.۰۷% of the isolates and none of them harboured T۳SS۲α genes. Among the strains, ۸۶.۵۴% of them were biofilm producers. V. parahaemolyticus showed significantly (p<۰.۰۵) moderate positive correlations (۰.۴MDR V. parahaemolyticus strains with virulence potential on food contact surfaces, thereby emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring of foodborne pathogens and for improving seafood safety in food processing facilities and retail environments.

کلیدواژه ها:

Antibiotic resistance ، Biofilm formation ، Food contact surface ، MDR ، Seafood safety ، T۳SS systems ، Vibrio parahaemolyticus