Presence of Clostridium spp. and Clostridium botulinum Types A, B, E, and F in Honey

In this study, a total of 300 honey samples were collected from different sale points in Diyarbakir, Mardin, Batman, Mus, Siirt, Bitlis, and Bingol cities in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolian regions of Türkiye. The honey samples were analyzed for the presence of Clostridium spp., and Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E, and F. Supernatant filtration and dilution centrifuga- tion methods were used for the detection of Clostridium botulinum spores from honeys. Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E, and F were determined by multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction. Out of 300 analyzed honey samples, 59 (19.6%) were contaminated with Clostridium spp. It was found that the highest amount of Clostridium spp. contamination belonged to the honey collected from Bingol with 28.5% and the Bitlis city had at lowest 12.5% (p > .05). However, Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E, and F were not detected in any of the samples including those confirmed as Clostridium spp. isolates by polymerase chain reaction. As a result, Clostridium spp. spo- res were determined to be at relatively low levels as none of the samples contained Clostridium botulinum spores. This situation can be considered as a result of the ongoing good production practices in the beekeeping industry in Türkiye.

Cite this article as: Guran, H. S., Vural, A., & Erkan, M. E. (2023). Presence of Clostridium spp. and Clostridium botulinum types A, B, E, and F in honey. Acta Veterinaria Eurasia, 49(2), 99-104.