Prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in RTE Meat Products of Quevedo (Ecuador)

is a foodborne pathogen that causes listeriosis and can be a problem in areas where meat products are sold at unregulated storage temperatures. In this work, the prevalence of was determined in the five most widely traded meat products in the province of Quevedo (Ecuador): bacon, "chorizo paisa", grilled hamburger meat, mortadella, and salami. A total of 1000 samples of these products were analyzed in two seasons of the year (dry season/rainy season). All isolates were confirmed by PCR with primers designed for the gene. Furthermore, the positive samples were quantified for . Of the 1000 meat products analyzed, 163 were positive for (16.3%). The prevalence of in the two seasons in different meat products was as follows: 22.5% in mortadella, 19% in hamburger meat, 15% in bacon, 14.5% in chorizo paisa and 10.5% in salami. In addition, the concentration of in most of the positive samples was in the range of 4-6 log CFU/g or even higher. The results show the need for improvements in the hygienic measures and meat storage temperatures in Quevedo (Ecuador) to avoid risks of foodborne listeriosis.