Incidence, evaluation of detection and identification methods, and antimicrobial resistance of Aeromonas spp. in ready-to-eat foods

Abstract

Aeromonas spp. are opportunistic and ubiquitous bacteria considered emerging pathogens that can cause infections in animals, especially fish, as well as humans. In humans, these bacteria are associated with gastroenteritis but can also be related to extraintestinal diseases. Its main infection route is through water, but it has been increasingly associated with foods. Their association with ready-to-eat foods may be a concern, especially because these products are for immediate consumption. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Aeromonas spp. in ready-to-eat foods (temakis, cheeses and minimally processed fruits) and to characterize the virulence profile and antimicrobial resistance of the isolates. The species A. hydrophila, A. caviae and A. veronii were identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which was later compared with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS). The performance of two isolation selective agars (starch-ampicillin agar-SAA and Aeromonas agar-AA) was also evaluated. Aeromonas spp. was isolated in 66.67 % (20/30) of temaki, 3.23 % (1/31) of fruits and none (0/30) of cheeses, observing high microorganism counts from <102 to 2.6 × 105 CFU/g. A. caviae (26.39 %) was the most prevalent species, followed by A. hydrophila (20.83 %) and A. veronii (8.34 %), and 44.44 % were classified as Aeromonas sp. The performance analysis between PCR and MALDI-TOF/MS for Aeromonas identification was not statistically significant, and the Kappa index showed moderate agreement (p < 0.01 and Kappa = 0.718). The SAA selective medium performed better than AA. We identified seventeen virulence profiles, and 59.72 % of the isolates had some of the genes studied. The aerA gene (47.2 %) was the most abundant, followed by act (41.7 %), hlyA and alt (38.9 %), and ast (18.1 %). A. hydrophila was the species most associated with these genes. The antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that 90 % of the isolates were resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, 17 % to tetracycline, 10 % to imipenem and 3 % to aztreonam. The results showed that temakis are carriers of potentially pathogenic Aeromonas spp. and therefore should be avoided by children, elderly individuals, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people. We also found strains resistant to antimicrobials, meaning that these microorganisms need constant monitoring.