Experimental Infection Acquired from Fermented Meat Products.

This study describes the prevalence and concentration of spores in pork meat and evaluates the effect of sausage fermentation on infectivity for immunodeficient (severe combined immunodeficient) and immunocompetent (BALB/c and C57BL/6) mice. Using a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach, genotype II was detected in the meat from 2 out of 50 pig carcasses at slaughter facilities, with 60-250 spores per gram detected by quantitative PCR. Under experimental conditions, 3000 genotype II spores per gram of meat remained infective for mice following fermentation at 24°C for 48 h. Based on these findings, fermented meat products should be considered as a potential source of infection in humans.