Characterization of Bacterial Communities in Palestinian Lamb Meat by Phenotyping and 16S rRNA Gene Sequence Analysis

Abstract

The main purpose of the present study was to isolate, identify and quantify bacteria in Palestinian fresh lamb meat. Phenotyping and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis was used to identify bacteria present in lamb meat samples. Thirty-four bacterial isolates were obtained from 20 samples of fresh lamb meat collected from 4 meat shops in Tulkarem city in Palestine. Bacterial counts were in a range of 3 x 103 -1.5 x 105 cfu / g with Staphylococcus aureus being the highest in numbers among other bacteria. Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococ-caceae were the predominant bacterial families detected in fresh lamb meat samples. Two bacterial isolates, which were not identified by phenotyping, were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. There was an agreement between phenotyping and 16S rRNA gene sequencing in identification of 19 bacterial isolates. On the other hand, a disagreement was observed between phenotyping and 16S rRNA gene sequencing in identification of the remaining bacterial isolates. Fresh lamb meat seems to be a good medium for growth of various bacterial species.