High Prevalence of ESBLs and Carbapenemases in Enterobacteriacae Isolated From Food Products in Egypt

Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria represent a vital concern impacting both veterinary medicine and public health. The increasing prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), AmpC beta-lactamase, and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) consistently reduces the efficacy of clinically significant antibiotics. This investigation evaluated the prevalence of ESBL, AmpC and CRE in various food products in Egypt. A total of 400 food samples (beef meat, cow milk, and kareish cheese) were randomly collected from different markets. Traditional bacteriological and biochemical methods for isolating and identifying the samples were all examined. Out of these 400 samples, 340 (85%) isolates were presumptively identified as Enterobacteriaceae: Klebsiella pneumoniae 185 (54.4%), Escherichia coli 105 (30.9%), Salmonella enteric ssp. arizonae 22 (6.5%) and Enterobacter cloacae 18 (5.3%), and Raoultella planticola 10 (3%). Of 340 isolates, 300 (70%) demonstrated resistance phenotypes to two or more antimicrobial agents. Overall, complete resistance (100%) was observed against oxacillin, ampicillin, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. In comparison, the susceptibility of isolates was observed against aztreonam and colistin. The narrow- and ESBLs and carbapenemase-encoding genes in 12 (5%) bacterial isolates. The blaTEM was identified in 12 (5%) isolates. The blaNDM-1 was identified as a carbapenemase-encoding gene, which was identified in 11 (4.6%) isolates. The blaOXA-1 was identified in 11 (4.6%) isolates. The blaSHV was identified in 9 (3.8%) isolates. While blaCTX-M was identified in 3 (1.3%) isolates. The blaCMY-2 b-lactamase encoding gene was 1.3%. The high prevalence of resistant genes in foodstuffs constitutes a potential public health threat with the possibility of transmission of these strains to humans.