Detección de toxina Shiga en cepas de Shigella spp aisladas de carne de pollo comercializada en Ambato

Abstract

Shigella is a pathogen capable of generating mild or severe gastrointestinal infections in humans, and its transmission can occur by ingesting contaminated food. The present investigation aimed to detect genes encoding Shiga toxins (stx1 and stx2) in strains of Shigella spp. isolated from chicken meat marketed in Ambato. 17 strains of Shigella previously identified and preserved in the Molecular Biology Laboratory of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the Technical University of Ambato were analyzed, corresponding to three species: S. sonnei (n = 10), S. flexneri (n = 5) and S. dysenteriae (n=2). The molecular detection of the stx1 and stx2 genes was performed by the polymerase chain reaction technique PCR, electrophoresis in 2% agarose gel for stx1 and 1.5% for stx2 the visualization of the amplified bands was observed in the transilluminator. As a result, the presence of the stx2 gene was detected in four strains (23.5%) corresponding to Shigella flexneri, while no amplification of the stx1 gene was observed in any of the samples. This finding is of epidemiological relevance, since the stx2 gene is associated with increased virulence and its presence in meat products represents a potential risk to public health. This highlights the importance of strengthening sanitary controls and microbiological surveillance strategies in foods of avian origin.