Prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica in raw milk, eggs, Calf and chicken meat in Karbala province

Yersinia enterocolitica is a foodborne pathogen of significant public health concern, this study was conducted to detect the prevalence of Yersinia enterocolitica in raw milk, shell eggs, beef, and chicken meat .200  samples have been collected from local markets in Karbala province to isolation and identification of Yersinia enterociolitica . Two methods were used to detect the bacteria: bacterial culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Initial isolation of Y. enterocolitica was performed using Cefsulodin-Irgasan-Novobiocin (CIN) agar medium following enrichment in Peptone Sorbitol Bile Broth. Suspected colonies were confirmed through biochemical tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 16S rRNA gene. The results of our study have been reveled foodborne pathogen in commonly consumed food products within the Kerbala Provance . A comparison of the accuracy and sensitivity of the two methods was conducted by calculating sensitivity and specificity. Results Out of the 200g of tested samples, bacterial growth was observed in  (17.5%), with varying prevalence across food types. Raw milk showed the highest contamination rate 34%, while eggs had the lowest prevalence of contamination rate 2%, on the other hand,  High sensitivity (88.57%) and specificity (98.18%) were demonstrated by the PCR test when compared to the gold standard culture method and In conclusion: Yersinia enterocolitica was successfully isolated from food samples in Kerbala Province, highlighting the need for improved food safety measures and The PCR test was found to have high sensitivity (88.57%) and specificity (98.18%) against culture confirmation