Microbiota analysis in raw pet foods, detection of some zoonotic bacteria that threaten human health and antibiotic resistance

The subject of the research was the detection of four zoonotic bacteria, E. coli, Salmonella spp., S. aureus, and A. baumannii, which pose serious risks to human health, their presence in collected BARF products, and the identification of 15 resistance genes against 9 commonly used antibiotics in these products. For this purpose, in the 20 collected BARF samples from the market, all four bacteria were detected in varying proportions. Only Salmonella spp. and A. baumannii were found in cat BARFs, while all four bacteria were present in dog BARFs. Antibiotic resistance genes were detected in only one of the cat food samples, while they were found in three of the dog food samples. The most commonly detected resistance gene in all samples was gyrA, which confers resistance to ciprofloxacin. Additionally, resistance genes against amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, quinolones, colistin, methicillin, and cefepime were also identified. Bacteria capable of causing endocarditis, amnionitis, arthritis, meningitis, and bacteremia were detected in the microbiota analysis. BARFs containing lamb and lamb/beef mixture had a higher presence of species found in human saliva and vagina, indicating inadequate hygiene conditions during production. The abundance of Lactobacillus spp., responsible for food spoilage, in packaged foods suggested that the shelf life of the products was limited from the production stage.