Assessment of Listeria monocytogenes in pet food

Abstract

Abstract Background Listeria monocytogenes is one of the commonly isolated foodborne pathogens which cause illness, and listeriosis is a disease caused by this pathogen in human beings. Pets that consume contaminated pet food diets can be colonized by L. monocytogenes without showing clinical signs making the pets a possible source of contamination in the household. This study aimed to detect and enumerate the presence of L. monocytogenes in pet food diets, namely cat and dog food. Result A total of 32 samples consisting of wet food (25%), dry food (25%), treats (25%), and leftover household samples (25%) were examined for this study. The pet food diets were sampled from pet food shops, grocery stores, and households located in Kuching and Kota Samarahan. The analysis was conducted using the most probable number–polymerase chain reaction (MPN-PCR). According to the results obtained from MPN-PCR, none of the samples were contaminated by L. monocytogenes. Conclusion Being the first biosafety assessment of L. monocytogenes in pet food in Malaysia, this study can contribute to the building of a database regarding the potential contamination of pet food diets by L. monocytogenes.

Keywords

• Listeria monocytogenes
• Most probable number–polymerase chain reaction
• Pet food