Phenotyping and genotyping characterization of Salmonella strains isolated from retail beef in Erzurum, Turkey

In this study, phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Salmonella strains was carried out. Isolates were obtained from 140 different minced beef samples, taken from slaughterhouses and butcher shops in the vicinity of Erzurum, by using chromogenic media. For this purpose, fatty acid profiles, BIOLOG, ERIC-PCR, REP-PCR and (GTG)(5)-PCR methods were used. As a result of isolation study, Salmonella spp. was detected in 4 samples out of 140 minced beef samples. Depending on the data of fatty acid analysis, it was detected that there were 14 different fatty acids in the examined 15 bacterial strains. In the results of analyses by using BIOLOG system, all of the test organisms gave identification result as Salmonella group 1 and it was determined that this method is inefficient for serotype level detection. Several primer sets, targeting the repetitive DNA elements of REP, ERIC and (GTG)(5),were evaluated and it was detected that for identification and taxonomic characterization of S. typhimurium strains, the ERIC primers were the most reliable technique. Hence, as a promising genotypic tool, rep-PCR fingerprinting using the ERIC and REP primers can be used for the identification and characterization of Salmonella isolates species to serotype level.