Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis typing of Listeria monocytogenes isolated in two Finnish fish farms

The aim of this study was to find sources of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in fish products from a fish farm. The occurrence of L. monocytogenes also was compared in two freshwater fish farms with different types of fishponds. Samples collected from chilled rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and the slaughterhouse environment did not contain L. monocytogenes, but Listeria innocua was found in two samples from the slaughterhouses. Ten isolates of L. monocytogenes were discovered in sediment and water samples from farming tanks and earth ponds. Further characterization by serovar revealed the same serovar (1/2a) for all the isolates. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to divide the isolates into five different pulsotypes, three of which have been identified previously in fish products on the retail market. This finding supports the assumption that the primary production, and probably the raw fish, is a source of Listeria contamination in fish products. Some of the isolates were associated with a certain type of fishpond, indicating the need for hygienic analysis of the suitability of different types of farming ponds.