ANTIMICROBIAL DRUG RESISTANCE IN STRAINS OF Escherichia coli ISOLATED FROM FOOD SOURCES

Abstract

A variety of foods and environmental sources harbor bacteria that are resistant to one or more antimicrobial drugs used in medicine and agriculture. Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli is of particular concern because it is the most common Gram-negative pathogen in humans. Hence this study was conducted to determine the antibiotic sensitivity pattern of E. coli isolated from different types of food items collected randomly from twelve localities of Hyderabad, India. A total of 150 samples comprising; vegetable salad, raw egg-surface, raw chicken, unpasteurized milk, and raw meat were processed microbiologically to isolate E. coli and to study their antibiotic susceptibility pattern by the Kirby-Bauer method. The highest percentages of drug resistance in isolates of E. coli were detected from raw chicken (23.3%) followed by vegetable salad (20%), raw meat (13.3%), raw egg-surface (10%) and unpasteurized milk (6.7%). The overall incidence of drug resistant E. coli was 14.7%. A total of six (4%) Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL) producers were detected, two each from vegetable salads and raw chicken, and one each from raw egg-surface and raw meat. Multidrug resistant strains of E. coli are a matter of concern as resistance genes are easily transferable to other strains. Pathogen cycling through food is very common and might pose a potential health risk to the consumer. Therefore, in order to avoid this, good hygienic practices are necessary in the abattoirs to prevent contamination of cattle and poultry products with intestinal content as well as forbidding the use of untreated sewage in irrigating vegetables.

Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli in ready-to-eat food staffs: Prevalence and distribution of putative virulence factors

“…1 Among all pathogenic agents causing food-borne diseases, Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains had a significant position. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] E. coli is a Gram-negative, non-sporulating, flagellated, rod-shaped and facultative anaerobic bacterium of the Enterobacteriaceae family. Shiga (vero) toxin (Stx)-producing E. coli (STEC) is a subdivision of a significant pathogenic group of this bacterium named enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC).…”

“…Shiga (vero) toxin (Stx)-producing E. coli (STEC) is a subdivision of a significant pathogenic group of this bacterium named enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC). [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] In the other hand, STEC strains are divided into two separate subtypes of EHEC and Attaching and Effacing E. coli (AEEC). EHEC strains are responsible for high morbidity and mortality.…”

“…AEEC strains are described by their ability to occur attachingand-effacing (A/E) lesions in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] STEC bacteria are responsible for severe clinical syndromes like Hemorrhagic Colitis (HC), Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), bloody and non-bloody diarrhea and Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP). [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Presence of latent virulence factors including Shiga toxins (stx1 and stx2), intimin (eaeA) and hemolysin (hlyA) in the STEC strains of food products make them dangerous pathogens for human health.…”

“…These genes are responsible for bacterial adhesion, colonization and invasion into the gastric epithelial cells. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] According to the uncertain role of STEC strains in ready to eat foods and lack of epidemiological and microbiological investigations in this field in Iran, the present research was done to study the prevalence and distribution of virulence factors in the STEC strains isolated from various types of ready to eat food samples. …”

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Spoilage Bacteria of ‘Atama’ (Heinsia crinata) Soup

“…A number of authors have reported varying resistance of E. coli isolated from food and other sources to against augmentin (13.3 to 100%), ofloxain (0 to 39.3%), nitrofurantoin (26.17 to 80.0%), gentamicin (0 to 91.37%), ampicillin (22.2 to 100.0%), ciprofloxacin (4.07 to 82.0%) and ceftazidime ((0.0 to 94.02%) (Akond et al, 2009;Oluyege et al, 2009;Adeshina et al, 2012;Ogidi and Oyetayo, 2013;Poonia et al, 2014;Rasheed et al, 2014;Tiamiyu et al, 2015;Boss et al, 2016;Omobije et al, 2016;Sudda et al, 2016).…”