Investigation of antibiotic resistance profiles in extended spectrum beta lactamase producing enterobacteriaceae from red meat samples

The prevalence of extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in the family of Gram (-) Enterobacteriaceae has been emerging all over the World. The off-label use of them causes severe un-anticipated adverse effects including development of resistance in the bacteria. Hence, the presence of ESBL producing enterobacteria within the food producing animals are increasingly detected at the present time. The genetic elements responsible for encoding these beta-lactamases are the major contributors for the dissemination of ESBLs among the same and/or different bacterial species through feces and the consumption of insufficiently cooked meats and meat-products. The objective of this study was to determine the presence of ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae isolated from a total of 110 raw meat samples (65 cow and 45 sheep) in Istanbul and different districts (Bursa, Tekirdag, Yalova) of the region of Marmara using phenotypic methods. All the samples were homogenized in Enterobacteriaceae enrichment broth, followed by an incubation at 37°C overnight. The pre-enriched samples were subjected to selective enrichment in Chromagar ESBL selective media with an icubation at 37°C for 18-24 hours. The presumptive isolates were subcultured at tryptone soy agar, and identified by VITEK®MS (bioMérieux). The identified presumptive isolates were screened for the existence of ESBLs using a combination of CTX, CAZ and CPD antibiotic dics with/without CLA according to the guidelines of CLSI (2013). The final confirmation was performed by liquid microdilution method based on MIC determination. The results showed that overall, 20,9% (n=23) of the screened isolates were positive for ESBL. The distribution of the species were found to be E. coli (30%), C. braakii (22%), E. cloacae (17%), K. pneumoniae (9%), C. freundii (9%), S. fonticola (4%), K. intermedia (4%) and Moellerella wisconsensis (4%), respectively. In summary, the meats, essentially required for the human nutrition, were significantly contaminated with ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae, and therefore presented a risk for the public health. Keywords: Antibiotic Resistant, Enterobacteriaceae, Meat, ESBL, Public Health.