Abstract
BackgroundThe objectives of this study were to characterize the diversity and magnitude of antimicrobial resistance among Staphylococcus species recovered from imported beef meat sold in the Egyptian market and the potential mechanisms underlying the antimicrobial resistance phenotypes including harboring of resistance genes (mecA, cfr, gyrA, gyrB, and grlA) and biofilm formation.ResultsThe resistance gene mecA was detected in 50% of methicillin-resistant non-Staphylococcus aureus isolates (4/8). Interestingly, our results showed that: (i) resistance genes mecA, gyrA, gyrB, grlA, and cfr were absent in Staphylococcus hominis and Staphylococcus hemolyticus isolates, although S. hominis was phenotypically resistant to methicillin (MR-non-S. aureus) while S. hemolyticus was resistant to vancomycin only; (ii) S. aureus isolates did not carry the mecA gene (100%) and were phenotypically characterized as methicillin- susceptible S. aureus (MSS); and (iii) the resistance gene mecA was present in one isolate (1/3) of Staphylococcus lugdunensis that was phenotypically characterized as methicillin-susceptible non-S. aureus (MSNSA).ConclusionsOur findings highlight the potential risk for consumers, in the absence of actionable risk management information systems, of imported foods and advice a strict implementation of international standards by different venues such as CODEX to avoid the increase in prevalence of coagulase positive and coagulase negative Staphylococcus isolates and their antibiotic resistance genes in imported beef meat at the Egyptian market.
Highlights
The objectives of this study were to characterize the diversity and magnitude of antimicrobial resist‐ ance among Staphylococcus species recovered from imported beef meat sold in the Egyptian market and the poten‐ tial mechanisms underlying the antimicrobial resistance phenotypes including harboring of resistance genes and biofilm formation
Isolation and characterization of Staphylococcus spp. from imported beef meat samples In this study, a total of 23 staphylococcal isolates were recovered from 100 imported meat samples (23%), including coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) strains (12/23) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) strains (11/23) (Table 2)
The 23 Staphylococcus spp. (S. aureus, n = 3; S. hyicus, n = 6; S. intermedius, n = 3; S. epidermidis, n = 1; S. hemolyticus, n = 1; S. hominis, n = 1; S. lugdunensis, n = 3; S. simulans, n = 1; and S. scuri, n = 4) isolates were cytotoxic to Vero cells
Summary
The objectives of this study were to characterize the diversity and magnitude of antimicrobial resist‐ ance among Staphylococcus species recovered from imported beef meat sold in the Egyptian market and the poten‐ tial mechanisms underlying the antimicrobial resistance phenotypes including harboring of resistance genes (mecA, cfr, gyrA, gyrB, and grlA) and biofilm formation. Contamination of meat with foodborne pathogens represents a major public health threat. Imported animal products are considered as a clear example, and risk analyses have been previously applied to characterize these. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common foodborne pathogens causing food poisoning outbreaks worldwide [3]. CNS have been recorded as conveying vector for virulence genes and have been implicated in some cases of food poisoning [9]. Food-related staphylococci could act as dissemination vectors for antibiotic resistance genes to other potentially pathogenic microorganisms causing immediate threat to the public health. The mecA-harboring CNS (MRCNS) have been reported to have a reservoir in animal farm facilities and in meat products, with the ability to be conveyed to S. aureus [10,11,12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
