Prevalence of carbapenem resistance genes in Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii from meat samples

Background: Infections caused by bacteria transmitted from food, including carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), and Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii), are spreading, and this has caused concerns in treatment. This study investigated the frequency of carbapenem resistance genes in Enterobacteriaceae, P. aeruginosa, and A. baumannii, isolated from raw chicken meat. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 100 samples of raw chicken meat were collected from Isfahan. Bacterial contamination was evaluated and confirmed using biomedical tests. Antibiotic sensitivity tests were performed using disc diffusion for Enterobacteriaceae, P. aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii isolates. The frequency of carbapenem resistance genes (OXA-181, OXA-48, VIM, NDM, IMP, and KPC) was determined through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Results: Out of 100 samples, 70 were positive for bacterial infection, of which 30 were infected with Escherichia coli (E. coli), 14 samples with Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), 9 samples with Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium), 11 samples with P. aeruginosa, and 6 samples with A. baumannii. The highest levels of antibiotic resistance were estimated to be tetracycline, cotrimoxazole, gentamicin, trimethoprim, and streptomycin, and the lowest levels were azithromycin and rifampin. Among genes encoding resistance to carbapenem, NDM and OXA-48 genes were the most commonly expressed, with a frequency of 60% and 28.24%, respectively. Conclusion: This study found significant bacterial contamination, especially for Enterobacteriaceae, with notable antibiotic resistance to tetracycline. Carbapenem resistance genes NDM and OXA-48 were prevalent, indicating the urgency of addressing antibiotic resistance.