Antimicrobial Resistance and Public Health Risks Associated with Staphylococci Isolated from Raw and Processed Meat Products

This study aimed at evaluating the occurrence, antibiotic resistance, and β-lactamase production in <i>Staphylococcus</i> isolates recovered from meat and meat products, as well as the incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in these bacterial isolates. The prevalence of <i>Staphylococcus</i> was very high (75% and 50%) in street kebab and raw buffalo meat, respectively. The antibiotic resistance and susceptibility behavior showed that 82% of the <i>Staphylococcus</i> isolates were resistant to β-lactam antibiotics such as aztreonam, followed by methicillin (68%), oxacillin (54%), cefepime (36%), ceftazidime (34%), cefaclor (24%), cefotaxime (22%), ertapenem (4%), meropenem and imipenem (2%). Among non-β-lactam antibiotics, the most widespread resistance was observed against nalidixic acid (80%), sulfadiazine (76%), vancomycin (24%), erythromycin (10%), chloramphenicol (6%), and kanamycin and gatifloxacin (4%). One hundred percent of the isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin, tetracycline, gemifloxacin, and cefotaxime/clavulanic acid. <i>In vitro</i> drug-resistant characteristics revealed 36 distinct resistance patterns of <i>Staphylococcus</i> isolates, with 82% of them being multidrug resistant (MDR). Iodometric assay showed that 48% of the <i>Staphylococcus</i> isolates produced β-lactamase and 24% of the isolates were capable of producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases phenotypically. The most commonly detected AMR gene was <i>mecA</i> (29.2%), followed by <i>Sul</i> 1 (25%) and <i>qnrS</i> and <i>qnrB</i> (20.8%), in <i>Staphylococcus</i> isolates. Current findings show widespread occurrence of MDR <i>Staphylococcus</i> strains in raw meat and street meat products, which is a potential risk to public health. Therefore, the study suggests strict monitoring of hygiene through the whole food chain and judicious use of antibiotics.