The smothered fish samples were taken from 3 markets. They were grown on different selective and differentiated culture media to target groups of bacteria associated with food poisoning. Isolates were identified on the basis of cellular and colonial morphologies on selective and differentiated culture media, followed by susceptibility testing to certain families of antibiotics, in particular beta-lactams. This study showed that S. aureus and B. cereus had high levels of beta-lactam resistance. However, these strains were sensitive to kanamycin, tobramycin, ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin. The characteristic penicillinase phenotype was dominant in Gram-positive bacteria. Shigella spp, Salmonella spp and E. coli were resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics. Tobramycin and meropenem retained their activity on all strains. Despite the increased rates of resistance observed, vancomycin, kanamycin, tobramycin, gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, and norfloxacin can be used in the treatment of community-acquired infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria while meropenem and tobramycin for Shigella spp, Salmonella spp and E. coli infections.

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