Ribotyping for Accurate Identification of Infectious Bacteria in Animal-Derived Foods and Laboratory Samples: Implications for Human Health.

Ribotyping is a molecular typing approach based on ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences for the identification and characterization of bacterial strains. This review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of ribotyping in the identification of infectious bacteria in animal-derived foods and veterinary samples. A narrative literature review was conducted using major scientific databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science, covering studies published to 2025. Relevant articles were selected based on their focus on ribotyping methodologies (e.g., RFLP-, PCR-, and automated ribotyping) and their applications in food safety, veterinary microbiology, and zoonotic disease investigations. The findings indicate that ribotyping has been widely applied for epidemiological investigations, source tracking, and characterization of foodborne and zoonotic pathogens. These approaches have contributed to understanding bacterial diversity and monitoring antibiotic resistance patterns in animal populations and related food products. However, compared with high-resolution molecular techniques such as whole genome sequencing (WGS), ribotyping demonstrates lower discriminatory power and limited resolution for fine-scale epidemiological analysis. Despite these limitations, ribotyping remains a useful, accessible, and cost-effective tool in certain laboratory and surveillance settings, particularly where advanced genomic technologies are not readily available. Overall, integrating ribotyping with newer genomic approaches can enhance the monitoring and control of infectious bacteria, thereby supporting animal health, food safety, and public health outcomes.