The Study of Antibiotic Resistance and Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBLs) Encoding Genes in Acinetobacter baumanni Isolates from Raw Foodstuffs

Background and Aims: Pharmaceutical residuals like antibiotics in livestock products and their consumption by humans from food chain can lead to the spread of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. The aim of the current study was to investigate antibiotic resistance and determine the prevalence rate of genes encoding extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBLs) in Acinetobacter strains isolated from raw foodstuffs. Materials and Methods: In this study, 300 samples from protein foodstuffs (mutton, beef, chicken, hamburger, hot dog, sausages) and dairy foodstuffs (raw milk and cheese) were prepared and investigated in terms of contamination with Acinetobacter baumannii from July 2015 to November 2016. The isolated bacteria were identified by biochemical tests to species level and confirmed by the PCR technique via blaOXA-51 gene. Antibiotic resistance of the isolates was studied using the diffusion disc method. Also, the presence of ESBLs enzymes in the isolates wa s done phenotypically and genetically through PCR and combined disk tests. Results: The results showed that 43 strains of A. baumannii were isolated from the protein and dairy foodstuffs, 93% from protein foodstuffs and 7% from dairy foodstuffs. Also, 30% of the isolates had multidrug- resistance (MDR). Further, the findings of PCR illustrated that the prevalence of genes encoding ESBLs in the isolates were: TEM 21%, PER 23.5%, VEB 18.5‌% and SHV35%. Conclusions: Foodstuffs can act as a food source for A. baumannii that can lead to transferring and spreading genes encoding antibiotic resistance to humans