Beta-Lactamase production and antibiotic susceptibility screening of Staphylococus aureus isolated from ready to eat fruits sold in some parts of Offa Metropolis, Nigeria

The global menace of community-acquired antibiotic resistance of Beta Lactamase-producing Staphylococcus aureus has been traced to the increased consumption of Ready-to-eat Foods/Fruits. Samples each of ready-to-eat whole and sliced fruits (sliced pawpaw, apple, sliced watermelon, garden egg, cucumber, pear, guava, sliced coconut, berry and date fruit) were collected randomly from vendors in Offa, Kwara State, in Nigeria. Isolation and characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from the samples were done. The isolates were screened for Beta-Lactamase production and susceptibility to some antibiotics using standard microbiological techniques. A total of twenty-two (Twenty coagulase-positive and two coagulase-negative) Staphylococcus aureus was isolated. The total Staphylococal count was highest in sliced pawpaw (23.30 ± 2.75 × 10⁵ cfu/g) while the least was recorded in apple (3.0 ± 0.01 × 10⁵ cfu /g). Twenty (20) of the isolates were recorded to be Beta Lactamase producers. All the Beta Lactamase producers were 100 % resistant to Aztreoname, 80 % to Amoxicillin Clavulate, 45 and 35 % to Ceftazidine and Ceftriaxone. Thirty percent of the isolates were found to be susceptible to Ceftazidine only while 25 % were susceptible to Ceftriaxone only. The study concluded that increased incidence of Community-Acquired Multidrug-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus could be traceable to the consumption of unhygienic processed Ready-to-eat Fruits. The ripple effects of which could be dangerous to human health.