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Enterobacter sakazakii: an emerging foodborne pathogenic bacterium

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Abstract

Enterobacter sakazakii (Cronobacter spp.) is an emerging pathogen associated with the ingestion of contaminated powdered infant formula (PIF) that causes necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, and meningitis in low-birth-weight preterm neonatal infants. The natural habitat of E. sakazakii is unknown, but PIF has been suggested as a possible mode of transmission in neonatal infections. The presence of E. sakazakii is not limited to powdered infant formula, it can also be found in a broad range of foods and in water. In recent years, the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods has ranked E. sakazakii a “severe hazard for restricted populations.” The present review is mainly focused on environmental stress on E. sakazakii and its antibiotic resistance.

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Correspondence to XianFeng Zhou.

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Zhou, X., Fu, S., Gao, J. et al. Enterobacter sakazakii: an emerging foodborne pathogenic bacterium. Ann Microbiol 62, 1–5 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13213-011-0274-x

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