Proteus mirabilis is abundantly found in soil and water, and although it is part of the normal human intestinal flora, it has been known to cause serious infections in humans and a common pathogen responsible for complicated urinary tract infections. It is also commonly associated with multidrug resistance. In the current study, analysis of 1093 different samples from foods of animal origin and intestinal samples confirmed 232 P. mirabilis isolates by PCR. Of the 232, 72 isolates exhibited β-lactamase production both by phenotypic and genotypic methods with highest occurrence in poultry cloacal swabs (11.82%) followed by mutton (9.18%), khoa (6.32%), pork (5.63%), pig rectal swabs (5.52%), beef (5.45%) and chicken (5.13%) but none from sheep rectal and bovine rectal swabs. Among β-lactamase genes, bla TEM was the predominant gene detected (59) followed by bla OXA (11), bla SHV­ (5), bla FOX (5), bla CIT (4), bla CTX-M1 and bla CTX-M9 (2 each) and bla CTX-M2 , bla DHA and bla EBC (1 each). None of the isolates were carrying bla ACC, bla MOX and carbapenamase genes ( bla VIM , bla IMP , bla KPC and bla NDM-1 ). Dendrogram analysis of ERIC and REP-PCR fingerprints of β-lactamase producing P. mirabilis isolates differentiated 63 strains whereas 9 isolates did not yield any bands. The present study revealed that 6.58% of the samples showed presence β-lactamase producing P. mirabilis isolates that may play a role in food safety and contamination of the environment. Further genotyping methods expressed the genetic relationship between isolates of different origin. The study emphasizes the judicious use of antibiotics inorder to control the spread of β-lactamase producing bacteria.

Klebsiella species have been at the center of attention over the recent years due to its role in the evolution of antimicrobial resistance and is not only associated with nosocomial but also with food related infections worldwide. In this study, out of 336 samples of animal intestinal and foods of animal origin screened, 99 samples were found to harbor Klebsiella spp. Out of 99 isolates, 89 were Klebsiella pneumoniae and 10 were found to be Klebsiella oxytoca by mPCR. The isolates were subjected to antibiotic sensitivity test including ESBL detection by genotypic (PCR) and phenotypic (disc diffusion) methods. β-Lactamase genes were identified in 32 isolates of K. pneumoniae and an isolate of K. oxytoca, blaSHV being the predominant gene detected (31) followed by blaTEM, blaCTX-M1, and blaCTX-M9 (one each), whereas single K. oxytoca isolate harbored blaCTX-M2 gene. Genetic fingerprinting of β-lactamase producing K. pneumoniae using ERIC-PCR and REP-PCR differentiated all the 32 strains with discriminatory power of 1.

In the present study, a total of 100 catla (Catla catla—major South Asian carp, local name botcha) collected from local fish markets and aquaculture ponds were subjected for isolation and characterization of Arcobacter sp. In all, 21 Arcobacter sp. were isolated, of which 18 (85·7%) were Arcobacter butzleri and three (14%) were A. cryoaerophilus as identified by multiplex PCR. All 18 A. butzleri isolates were positive for mviN, ciaB and tlyA virulence genes, three of A. cryoaerophilus isolates carried mviN gene and none of the isolates were positive for cadF, irgA, cj1349, hecA and hecB genes. All isolates (n = 21) were resistant to penicillin (100%). Meanwhile, 71·43, 23·81, 23·81, 14·29 and 9·52% of the isolates showed resistance towards vancomycin, nalidixic acid, erythromycin, cefixime and kanamycin, respectively. Multidrug resistance was observed in 23·81% of the Arcobacter sp. isolates and none of the isolates were positive for any of the extended spectrum beta‐lactamases either by phenotypic or by molecular identification genes (blaOXA, blaSHV, blaTEM, blaCTX‐M1, blaCTX‐M2 and blaCTX‐M9 groups). The results emphasize the need to implement specific control procedures to reduce the use of antibiotics in aquaculture particularly the ones which are very important in human medicine. Significance and Impact of the Study Arcobacter species are emerging food‐ and water‐borne human pathogens. In this study, Arcobacter butzleri was predominant in fish compared to A. cryoaerohilus and A. skirrowii. Higher incidence of arcobacters in fish market samples suggests cross contamination and unhygienic handling of fish in markets. Virulence genes profile and antibiotics resistance of the Arcobacter sp. isolated in current study indicate pathogenic potential of Arcobacter sp. to humans. Occurrence of multidrug‐resistant Arcobacter sp. in fish is a major concern in food safety. To our knowledge, this is the first report of Arcobacter sp. from freshwater fish, catla (Catla catla) in India.

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