Evaluation of the potential risk associated to the presence of antibiotic resistant microorganisms in food products

The excessive and indiscriminate use of antibiotics i sone of the main causes for the increase in resistant bactéria. However, through this study, it was also possible to trace a plausible link between microbiological hygiene parameters and the presence of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing bactéria in ready-to-eat (RTE) salads. Salads can be contaminated before, during and after processing through direct or indirect contact with pathogenic bactéria. Thus, when these resistant bactéria are ingested, through contaminated food, they can contribute to the spread of ESBL genes, causing antbiotics, such as cefotaxime, to lose efficacy. This thesis aims to evaluate the presence of cexotaxime-resistant microorganisms in RTE salads. For this purpose, two commercially available brands were used, the brand Continente and the brand Vitacress, and also na organic salad. These samples showed a high concentration of microorganisms resistant to cefotaxime. The bacteria isolated from these samples were found to be ESBL producers, with bactéria from the genus Pseudomonas being the most frequent. Further studies, performed using qPCR and conventional PCR analysis, demonstrated the presence of ESBL genes in 29.7% (62/209) of the isolates analyzed. The blaACC, blaSHV and blaVEB genes were found to be the most prevalent. Therefore, it was concluded that RTE salads, despite being nutritious foods and integrating a healthy diet, may be a potential vehicle for transmission of resistant bactéria