Antimicrobial resistance profile of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible staphylococcus aureus in ready-to-eat street foods in the city of Cali
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24054/limentech.v23i2.4404Keywords:
Staphylococcus aureus, antibiotic resistance, foodborne illness, staphylococcal enterotoxin, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureusAbstract
Staphylococcus aureus, especially toxigenic and antibiotic-resistant strains, pose a threat to the development of foodborne illnesses. The objective of this study was to characterize S. aureus isolates obtained from ready-to-eat foods sold at street vendors. A total of 119 S. aureus isolates were selected from 24 food samples. Antibiotic susceptibility testing established resistance profiles, and the mecA, pvl, hgl, and sae genes were detected by PCR. Associations between variables were established using the chi-square test, using the SPSS v26.0 statistical package. The prevalence of S. aureus in street foods was 45.8%, especially in samples obtained from peach palm and mixed rice. The strains were resistant to oxacillin (23.5%), clindamycin (18.5%), and cefotaxime (29.4%), the latter of which were considered MRSA. The largest number of these isolates were detected in peach palm and mango. The mecA gene was detected in 88.6% of the MRSA strains. 33.6% of the strains were considered toxigenic, carrying the sea gene. This study demonstrates the significant presence of S. aureus and MRSA isolates carrying enterotoxin genes in ready-to-eat foods in street sales in Cali. These strains pose a public health risk, especially in street vendor settings with poor hygiene practices. It is essential to implement strict sanitary controls and promote food safety education to reduce transmission and outbreaks associated with S. aureus.
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