Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis fingerprinting of isolates recovered from foods of animal origin and fishes in North-Eastern India.

is a pathogen of great concern to the food industry. The present study was aimed to explore the clonal relationships amongst strains isolated from foods of animal origin (milk, beef, chevon (goat meat), pork and chicken) and fish. Forty-seven strains were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The PFGE analysis using and enzymes revealed 37 pulsotypes, with Simpson's discriminatory index of 0.987. This study demonstrated the presence of a few similar pulsotypes in different foods of animal origin in different places and years of isolation and this indicates that some subtypes may be ubiquitous which are acclimatizing and persisting in different foods of animal origin. This also emphasizes the importance of cross-contamination in local wet markets. Thus, the understanding of genetic diversity will contribute to the development of rational and workable strategies to control this important zoonotic infection.