Occurrence of diarrhea-causing Escherichia coli pathotypes from ready-to-eat foods

Diarrheal strains of Escherichia coli (DEC) are common pathogens that cause acute intestinal diseases in humans through the consumption of contaminated food. The present study was conducted on 240 samples including strudel, pizza, sandwiches, and salad. E. coli was isolated by conventional culture tests and confirmed by PCR (using uidA gene). Out of 240 samples, 123 isolates (51.25%) were found positive as E. coli. Amongst 103 isolates (42.9%) contained no pathogenic genes. 11 isolates (4.6%) were identified as EPEC, 5 isolates (2%) as EHEC, 2 isolates (0.8%) as EAEC. ETEC and EIEC were not detected in any of the samples. Due to the contamination of ready-to-eat food samples with intestinal pathogenic pathotypes, continuous monitoring of the field of ready-to-eat food is suggested.