Prevalence of Listeria in smoked fish

Abstract

Smoked fish samples (71) were surveyed from Newfoundland retail markets and tested for the prevalence of Listeria. Staphylococcus aureus and fecal coliforms were also detected in the samples. Listeria was present in 11.3% of the smoked seafood products; 4 smoked cod, 3 smoked mackerel, and 1 smoked caplin were found to harbor the bacterium. The Food and Drug Administration protocol was also analyzed with regards to testing smoked seafoods. The secondary enrichment broth showed a 68% false-positive rate, whereas all positive samples were detected after 24 h of primary enrichment.