A study into the occurrence of Cronobacter spp. in The Netherlands between 2001 and 2005

Cronobacter spp. is an opportunistic pathogen possibly occurring in many different foods and environments. This study reports results from a broad survey of foods manufactured or marketed in The Netherlands, including relevant non-food environments, conducted over a 5-years period (2001–2005). Using a specifically designed real-time polymerase chain reaction method for confirmation, Cronobacter spp. was isolated from milk powders (7/175), powdered formulae for consumers <1 year (8/395), formulae for consumers >1 year (1/5), other powdered instant products (1/182), dry cereals (6/123), raw minced meats (7/222), vegetables (2/47), spices (1/28), human faeces (1/98), and human skin (1/116) samples.