Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF APPLIED BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, cilt.2, sa.18, ss.193-200, 2024 (Hakemli Dergi)
Enterococci are ubiquitous bacteria and are of critical importance due to their ability to
harbor antibiotic-resistance genes and their potential to transfer these genes to other bacteria. Vancomycin-
resistant enterococci (VRE) are recognized as significant public health pathogens due to limited treatment
options. The prevention of the transmission of vancomycin resistance by vanM-resistant enterococci to
other pathogens, and the spread of this resistance gene to the environment are very significant for public
health. Studies on the antimicrobial effect of Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cultures on chicken meat are
generally limited to Salmonella, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes, and studies on inhibiting
VRE are insufficient. In this context, the suppressive effect of commercially produced Lactobacillus
rhamnosus cultures on vanM-resistant enterococci was investigated in this study. For this purpose, raw
chicken fillet samples were contaminated with 4-6 log cfu/ml VRE, then dipped in a solution containing 9
log cfu/ml L. rhamnosus. On the application day (day 0), a decrease of 1.36 and 0.54 log cfu/ml was
determined in the enterococcal counts in samples contaminated with 4-6 log cfu/ml VRE, respectively.
Furthermore, on the 3rd day following the application, there was a decrease of 4 and 2.3 log cfu/ml in the
VRE counts in the samples, respectively. After the application of L. rhamnosus solution, it was determined
that there was more bacterial inhibition in samples with a bacterial density of 4 log cfu/ml than in samples
with 6 log cfu/ml (p<0.05). Enterococci counts remained below the initial contamination at the end of the
3rd day following the application to the samples with both contaminations. When the results of the study
were evaluated, it can be concluded that the commercially used L. rhamnosus cultures can be used to
suppress VRE in poultry meat and products.