Prevalence of antimicrobial resistant strains : Salmonella spp. and E. coli in meat products in Lebanon

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health and food security. The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of the pathogenic bacteria Salmonella spp. and E. coli in fresh and frozen red meat and meat organs collected from different supermarkets and butcher shops across Mount Lebanon and further evaluate their antimicrobial resistance. A total of 80 beef meat samples were collected from butchers and supermarkets in Mount Lebanon between February 2017 and December 2018. Bacterial isolation and biochemical identification were conducted using the API method. Using the disk diffusion method, the resistance of isolated strains to certain antimicrobial drugs was evaluated. The results showed that among the collected samples 57.7% were contaminated with Salmonella spp. and 72.5% with E. Coli. The prevalence of Salmonella spp. in meat samples collected from supermarkets (76.9%) was significantly higher compared to that from butcher shops (47.0%) (p=0.04). The fresh ground beef samples were significantly more contaminated with E. coli and 78.9% and Salmonella spp as compared to the frozen samples. The isolated Salmonella spp. and E. coli from the samples were 100% resistant to Oxacillin, Clindamycin, Erythromycin, Teicoplanin, and Vancomycin. Of the Salmonella spp. isolated, 50% showed resistance to Ampicillin and 30% to Cefuroxime. Among the isolated E. coli, 58% showed resistance to Ampicillin and 30% to Cefuroxime. The overall results revealed the importance of controlling the use of antibiotics to limit the emergence of multidrug resistant bacteria and emphasized the need to implement more stringent protective measures on the application of food safety laws to reduce the risk of contamination in meat production.