Distributions of Listeria spp., Bacillus spp., Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and Coliforms Isolated from Agricultural Herb Products from the Market

ABSTRACT

The study was conducted to investigate the distribution of pathogenic bacteria related to agricultural herb products that are sold on the market in South Korea. A survey was conducted on the microbial contamination levels and antibiotic susceptibility of Bacillus cereus (B. cereus) among 194 agricultural herb products on sale in Seoul. Distributions of those isolates were 252 coliforms, 148 Bacillus spp., 75 Enterococcus spp., 10 Staphylococcus spp., and 6 Listeria spp., respectively. The number of B. cereus isolates was 34, Escherichia coli isolates was three, Enterococcus faecium isolate was one, and Enterococcus faecalis isolate was one. Antibiotic susceptibility of B. cereus isolates was tested against 36 kinds of antibiotic susceptibility discs by disc diffusion method. B. cereus isolates were resistant to 20 kinds of antibiotics and semi-resistant to 11 kinds of antibiotics. On the basis of these results, any agricultural herb product can be assumed to be resistant or semi-resistant to the antibiotics used in human. In conclusion, we suggest sanitary control and special management regarding B. cereus contamination in agricultural herb products.