Introduction:

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is made up of a group of emerging food pathogens, implicated in numerous outbreaks worldwide. They are responsible for infections and serious gastrointestinal diseases such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and hemorrhagic colitis (HC). Many foods have been linked to these outbreaks, with emphasis on raw or undercooked meat and meat products.

Aim:

To evaluate the prevalence of STEC in meat and meat products from food-producing and game species, consumed within the Armed Forces (AF).

Material and Methods:

We analyzed a total of 170 samples received in the Service of Bromatology and Food Safety, of the Veterinary Military Center. To determine the presence of STEC, real-time PCR technique was performed using the “Custom TaqMan ISO STEC Screening Assay” kit (Thermo Scientific ™), following the manufacturer’s instructions. Statistical analysis was carried out using the SPSS® program.

Results:

The prevalence of STEC in the total amount of samples analyzed was 19.41%. Prevalence of meat products from food-producing species was 25.42%, whereas the one from game meat was 27.4%. The results obtained from the STEC screening showed statistical significance.

Conclusions:

The results obtained agree with most of previously published studies, emphasizing the importance of surveillance. Expanding the spectrum of matrices to analyze could be an interest approach, given the potential exposure of AF consumers to these agents.