Identification of Bacillus cereus and Cronobacter sakazakii on food products consumed by infants and children in Bangladesh

Abstract

Dried manufactured food products like baby formulas are often contaminated with various pathogenic bacteria. Bacillus cereus, which is widely known for foodborne intoxication, is a frequently observed contaminant. On the other hand, Cronobacter sakazakii is an occasional contaminant but it causes severe neurological infections, including sepsis in infants and children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of B. cereus and C. sakazakii in Powdered Infant Formula (PIF), Powdered Follow-Up Formula (PFUF), Child Complementary foods, and regular Milk Powders. Additionally, the study also focused on determining the infection risks associated with these products. A total of 26 samples commonly found in Bangladesh were analyzed. The approach consisted of inoculation in enrichment media and enumeration was done in chromogenic media. The pathogens were identified by colony morphology. B. cereus was detected in 54% (n = 14) of the total samples, and C. sakazakii was detected in 19.23% (n = 5) of the samples. Also, the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns were tested with the isolates of B. cereus and C. sakazakii. The findings of this thesis study emphasize that Bangladesh requires extensive research in this sector for the microbiological safety of infant and children formula.