Microbiological Analysis of Bacterial Isolates Obtained from Salad Dressing Samples from Street Food Vendors in Bangladesh Along with their Antibiogram Profiling

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Consumption of fresh foods such as fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens has increased worldwide over the past two decades. Although the health benefits of fresh produce are significant, the incidence of foodborne illness associated with contaminated produce has increased in recent years. The rapid dissemination of antibiotic resistance in humans, animals, and the environment has resulted in the frequent emergence of pathogenic bacteria and widespread health concerns related to contaminated vegetables. METHODS: The study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Stamford University Bangladesh with a total of 87 Isolates collected from 28 different street vendors from August 2023 to November 2023. RESULTS: Three major groups of bacteria were isolated, where 56% were Enterobacteriaceae, 23% were Vibrio spp. and 21% were Staphylococcus aureus. Furthermore, their antimicrobial susceptibility tests were done where all the isolates were resistant to vancomycin and erythromycin except for S. aureus. Majority of the isolates showed susceptibility against ciprofloxacin, meropenem, gentamycin, doxycycline, azithromycin, and chloramphenicol. CONCLUSION: The study found that most samples of common salad vegetables are colonized by a variety of microorganisms, posing a serious public health risk, and shows how antibiotics can be used judiciously to prevent various health risks.