Enterobacter sakazakii: An emerging foodborne pathogenic bacterium

Abstract

Enterobacter sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) is an emerging pathogen associated with the ingestion of contaminated powdered infant formula (PIF) that causes necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, and meningitis in low-birth-weight preterm neonatal infants. The natural habitat of E. sakazakii is unknown, but PIF has been suggested as a possible mode of transmission in neonatal infections. The presence of E. sakazakii is not limited to powdered infant formula, it can also be found in a broad range of foods and in water. In recent years, the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods has ranked E. sakazakii a "severe hazard for restricted populations." The present review is mainly focused on environmental stress on E. sakazakii and its antibiotic resistance. © Springer-Verlag and the University of Milan 2011.