Abstract

Bacillus cereus is an opportunistic pathogen that can cause food poisoning in humans as a result of consuming foods containing toxins or bacteria. In this study, the incidence of B. cereus and its virulence genes in meat products was investigated. Isolation of B. cereus was performed using selective PEMBA media and confirmed by morphological and biochemical tests and Vitek2 compact system. The incidence of B. cereus strains in beef and chicken meat products was 28%. The incidence of Bacillus cereus in frozen rice kofta, frozen kobiba-shami, chicken pane, and chicken nuggets was 16%, 24%, 28%, and 44%, respectively. Moreover, the result of multiplex PCR of virulence genes of groEL gene (533bp), Hbl gene (1091 bp), Nhe gene (766 bp) and Cytk gene (421bp) indicated that groEl gene, Nhe gene, Cytck gene was found in 100% of B. cereus isolated from different meat products, while Hbl gene was detected in 10% of isolates. The results demonstrate that meat products represent a threat to public health through the transmission of Bacillus cereus.