Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Gene Elements of Serovars From Ready-to-Eat (RTE) Shrimps.

Gastrointestinal illnesses continue to be a global public health risk. Exposure to foodborne directly or indirectly through consumption of ready-to-eat seafood can be an important route of infection to humans. This study was designed to estimate the population cell density, prevalence, virulence gene signatures, and antibiotic resistance of serovars from ready-to-eat shrimps. Ready-to-eat (RTE) shrimp samples were obtained from different open markets in Delta and Edo States, Nigeria from November 2016 to October 2017. We employed classical and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approaches. The mean species enumerated from the RTE shrimps ranged from -0.301 to 5.434 log cfu/g with 210/1440 (14.58%) of the RTE shrimp samples harbored species. After biochemical and PCR approach, the identified isolates were Enteritidis 11(24.4%), Typhimurium 14 (31.1%) and other spp. 20 (44.4%). All species recovered were resistant to penicillin and erythromycin with 100% sensitivity to cefotaxime, cephalothin, colistin, and polymyxin B. Findings on the multidrug-resistant (MDR) profile showed that a total of 9/14 (64.3%) of Enteritidis were resistant to 5 antibiotics which belongs to 3 different groups of antimicrobials with a multiple antibiotic-resistant (MAR) index of 0.21; while 3/11 (27.3%) of Typhimurium were resistant to 11 antibiotics which belongs to 7 different groups of antimicrobials with a MAR index of 0.46. Virulence genes (A, B, A, A, B, and A) and resistance genes (class 1 and II integrase, 2, 3, , B, 1, and C) were also detected in some of the species with variable percentage. This study indicates that ready-to-eat shrimps are probable reservoirs harboring strains. The identified isolates which exhibited virulence determinants and antibiotic-resistant coupled with high MAR index constitute a consumer health risk to the communities.