Profile of the Illegal Import of Products of Animal Origin to Brazilian Cities at the Border with Argentina and Uruguay

Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Animal Products Commercialized in the Border Region of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay

ABSTRACT

The traffic in international animal products can become a public health hazard when legal import sanitary procedures are not followed. In Brazil, due to its extensive border area, the importation of animal products is a common practice in many areas, especially in Rio Grande do Sul, a state that borders Argentina and Uruguay. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of veterinary drug residues (antibiotics and antiparasitics) in animal products consumed in Rio Grande do Sul. The presence of residues of veterinary antibiotics and antiparasitics was assessed in 189 meat (beef, pork, and chicken), processed dairy, and meat product samples bought in Argentina (n = 90) and Uruguay (n = 99). Residues of these veterinary drugs were detected in 50 (26.45%) of the samples; 28 samples (14.81%) had antibiotic residues, and 22 samples (11.64%) had antiparasitic residues. Of the 50 positive samples, 40% (15 from Argentina and 5 from Uruguay) had residues above the maximum residue limits (MRLs). Of these 20 samples, 12 had antiparasitic residues above the MRLs (11 beef samples had ivermectin and 1 pork sample had ivermectin and doramectin) and 8 had antibiotic residues above the MRLs (2 pork and 2 sausage samples had doxycycline, 2 cheese samples had doxycycline and chlortetracycline, 1 poultry meat sample had chloramphenicol, and 1 cheese sample had monensin). Because of the potential toxic effects on humans and the potential for pathogens to develop antibiotic resistance, the presence of these residues above the MRLs is a potential risk to public health. The negative impact of consumption of imported animal products can be reduced by implementation of an effective surveillance system and educational campaigns for the general population.

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Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes Isolated from Products Marketed on the Border of Brazil with Argentina and Uruguay

ABSTRACT

We aimed to perform serotyping and the antimicrobial resistance profile of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from raw meats imported illegally into Brazil along the borders of Argentina and Uruguay. Distinct isolates of Salmonella spp. (n = 6) and L. monocytogenes (n = 25) obtained from 270 of these food products of earlier work were serotyped and tested for antimicrobial resistance by agar disk diffusion method. For strains that were considered phenotypically resistant, antimicrobial resistance genes were investigated: strA, strB, floR, tetA, tetB, blaZ, blaTEM, ermB, ermC, and ereB to Salmonella sp. and blaZ and mecA to L. monocytogenes. All Salmonella isolates were identified as Salmonella Infantis; they were multidrug resistant and harbored the genes blaTEM (n = 6), strA (n = 1), strB (n = 1), floR (n = 1), ermB (n = 1), tetA (n = 3), and tetB (n = 3). L. monocytogenes isolates belonged to serovars 1/2a (n = 1), 1/2b (n = 14), 1/2c (n = 2), and 4b (n = 8), showed resistance only to penicillin G (n = 12), and did not show the blaZ and mecA genes. The results demonstrated that illegal foods that are commercialized in the Brazilian international border with Argentina and Uruguay may harbor foodborne pathogens, and some of them have multidrug resistance characteristics, such as Salmonella, emphasizing the need for greater control of international food transit in Brazil, especially in the region evaluated.

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Hepatitis A Virus, Hepatitis E Virus, and Rotavirus in Foods of Animal Origin Traded at the Borders of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay

The aim of this study was to investigate hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis E (HEV), and rotavirus (RV) in fresh and processed meat traded on the border of Brazil with Argentina and Uruguay. In total, 159 samples of raw and processed foods of animal origin were collected in Paso de los Libres, Argentina (n = 53 raw meat, n = 24 processed meat) and Rivera, Uruguay (n = 55 raw meat, n = 18 processed meat), or were seized by the Brazilian International Agricultural Surveillance System-VIGIAGRO (Brazil-Argentina border) (n = 8 raw meat, n = 1 bush meat). All samples were tested for the presence of HAV, HEV, and RV genomes. HAV genes were detected in 18.23% of samples and RV genes in 23.89%. No HEV-positive samples were detected. HAV was also detected in two of the VIGIAGRO samples. Processed meats from Argentina and Uruguay had a higher rate of HAV and RV than raw meat (P > 0.05). The median HAV in the Argentinian and Uruguayan samples was 6.9 × 10⁴ and 3.5 × 10³ copies/g, respectively. The presence of RV viral genes in raw meats from Argentina was significant, and this was not observed in processed meats. The presence of HAV and RV genes in a significant portion of products from Argentina and Uruguay is a potential source of human infection. This also indicates precarious conditions of acquisition, processing, and manipulation, which could be improved by improved regulation of food across borders.