Isolation of Cronobacter spp. (formerly Enterobacter sakazakii) from infant food, herbs and environmental samples and the subsequent identification and confirmation of the isolates using biochemical, chromogenic assays, PCR and 16S rRNA sequencing

BMC Microbiology

Table 4 Detailed description and percentages of food, beverages and environmental samples which contained Cronobacter spp. isolates

Sample Type	Number of Samples of a category	Number of Cronobacter spp. isolates	% of samples positive for Cronobacter spp.
Infant Formula and infant Foods
Infant foods	40	1	2.5
Herbs and Herbal Beverages
Liquorice	4	4	100
Thyme	4	1	25
Anise	8	4	50
Chamomile	8	2	25
Fennel	6	3	50
Sage	2	1	50
Mixed Spices	15	11	73.3
Environmental (vacuum dust)	6	2	33.3
Total	93	29	31.2