Isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility of Proteus vulgaris isolated from milk and dairy products

The isolation of Proteus spp., particularly Proteus vulgaris (P. vulgaris) from food subjects is an indicative of fecal contamination. In addition, the uncontrolled usage of antimicrobials during livestock production had led to the development of drug resistance among foodborne pathogens. Therefore, this study aimed for investigation the prevalence of P. vulgaris from raw buffalo milk and dairy products including Kariesh cheese, low salt (Tallaga cheese), Feta cheese, yoghurt, and ice cream randomly collected from Benha city, Egypt. Plus, the antimicrobial susceptibility testing of the recovered P. vulgaris isolates was screened. The present investigation found that the total prevalence of P. vulgaris in the analyzed raw buffalo and dairy products was 6%, with 9 out of 150 samples testing positive for the bacteria. The occurrence rates of P. vulgaris were 12%, 16%, 4%, 0%, 4%, and 0% in the analyzed samples of unpasteurized (buffalo milk), Kariesh cheese, Tallaga cheese, Feta cheese, yogurt, and ice cream. Proteus vulgaris isolates exhibited multi-drug resistance. All P. vulgaris isolates showed full resistance to erythromycin and clindamycin, whereas 77.8% of the isolates showed resistance to sulphamethoxazol. The resistance to ceftazidime, meropenem, and ipipenem was found to be at the lowest degree, with a detection rate of 11.1% for each. Therefore, strict hygienic measures should be followed during manufacture of dairy products to avoid their contamination with P. vulgaris.