Isolation And Molecular Identification Of Escherichia Coli And Salmonella Spp., From Pork, Beef And Chicken Meat Collected From Different Markets In Guaranda, Ecuador.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the occurrence of E. coli and Salmonella spp. in Sixty-one meat samples (19 chicken, 22 pork and 20 beef), collected from the central markets in Guaranda, Ecuador. All samples were analysed by culture using specific methods for the two genus and the isolates obtained were confirmed by Polymerase Chain Reaction. By culture, 29 samples (47.59%) were positive for Escherichia spp. with 42 isolates, and 25 samples with 35 isolates for Salmonella spp. By PCR, 22 samples (36.07%) were positive for E. coli, and 23 samples (37.70%) for Salmonella spp. The highest prevalence rate of Escherichia coli was observed in pork and beef (16.39% each); A high prevalence of Salmonella spp. was detected in pork (18.03%) followed by beef (13.11%). This study highlights the importance of these pathogens and the need for further studies on its prevalence and distribution in different types of food. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]