Toxinotyping and Antimicrobial Resistance of Isolated from Processed Chicken Meat Products.

INTRODUCTION

The toxinotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility of strains isolated from processed chicken meat were determined.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Two hundred processed chicken meat samples from luncheon meats, nuggets, burgers, and sausages were screened for by multiplex PCR assay for the presence of , and enterotoxin toxin genes. The isolates were examined against eight antibiotics (streptomycin, amoxicillin, ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, lincomycin, cefotaxime, rifampicin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole).

RESULTS

An overall of 32 strains (16%) were isolated from 200 processed chicken meat samples tested. The prevalence of was significantly dependent on the type of toxin genes detected (P = 0.0), being the highest in sausages (32%), followed by luncheon meats (24%), burgers (6%), and nuggets (2%). type A was the most frequently present toxinotype (24/32; 75%), followed by type D (21.9 %) and type E (3.1%). Of the 32 strains tested, only 9 (28%) were enterotoxin gene carriers, with most representing type A (n = 6). strains differed in their resistance/susceptibility to commonly used antibiotics. Most of the strains tested were sensitive to ampicillin (97%) and amoxicillin (94%), with 100% of the strains being resistant to streptomycin and lincomycin. It is noteworthy that the nine isolates with enterotoxigenic potential had a higher resistance than the non-enterotoxigenic ones.

CONCLUSION

The considerably high isolation rates from processed chicken meat samples and resistance to some of the commonly used antibiotics indicate a potential public health risk. Recent information about the isolation of enterotoxigenic type E from chicken sausage has been reported.