22.05.2014

Detection of ESBL-producing microorganisms at ifp

ifp Institut für Produktqualität offers the microbiological and molecular biological detection of ESBL-producing microorganisms in meat and sausage products.

ESBL-producing microorganisms, which are mostly species of the enterobacteriaceae such as Salmonella, Klebsiella or E. coli, produce what is referred to as “extended-spectrum beta-lactamases”. These enzymes make the bacteria resistant to modern beta-lactam-antibiotics (e.g. Cefotaxim, Ampicillin etc.).

This is particularly critical in poultry and raw sausage products that do not undergo heating during the manufacturing process. The Bundestag fraction Bündnis 90/Die Grünen had purchased 63 random samples of this type in various towns to have them tested for ESBL-producing microorganisms. The result was that especially turkey products were affected, with microorganisms having been found in two thirds of the cases.

Detection at ifp is done using special selective culture media enriched with antibiotics, on which only resistant microorganisms will grow. Molecularbiological detection of the microorganisms is done by PCR.