Antibacterial effect of ozonated water against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus contaminating chicken meat in Wasit Province, Iraq

Abstract

Background and Aim:Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most recognized “superbugs” and a common cause of community-associated and nosocomial infections; furthermore, when chicken meat is considered a good growth medium for S. aureus to make a plausible vehicle to propagate MRSA, then this study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of ozonated water (0.5 ppm) in the elimination or reduction of MRSA contaminating fresh and frozen chicken meat sold in local markets in the Wasit Province.Materials and Methods:A total of 72 samples of fresh and frozen chicken meat were randomly collected from dissimilar native markets: Fresh chicken meat (n=32) and frozen chicken meat (n=40). Isolation and identification of MRSA isolates were conducted using standard bacteriological, biochemical, RapID™ Staph Plus System (Remel, R8311009), and latex agglutination tests such as Dry SPOT Staphytect Plus (Oxoid, DR0100M) and PBP2’ Test Kit (Oxoid, DR0900A). The generation of ozone (O3) was carried out using O3 generator (A2Z/AQUA-6, USA), and its concentration (ppm) in water was determined using CHE-Mets®-Kit, USA.Results:A total of 39 (54.2%) of 72 fresh and frozen chicken meat were positive for S. aureus; of those 39 positive samples, 13 (33.3%) were identified as MRSA. The antibiotic sensitivity test results revealed that all MRSA isolates had multiple resistance to at least four antimicrobial agents for which these isolates had 12 antibiotic resistance patterns. Results of O3 treatment in MRSA isolate contaminating 13 of both fresh and frozen chicken meat samples showed that, after treatment with ozonated water (0.5 ppm/4°C), the overall negative samples were 23.1% and 69.2% for 30 and 45 min, respectively. The decrease in the percentage of positive samples was very significant from a public health perspective. Furthermore, the antimicrobial efficacy of ozonated water (0.5 ppm) on the reduction of the MRSA count (log10 colony-forming units [CFU]/ml) was assessed in four positive samples of fresh and frozen chicken meat, and the results revealed that, after treatments, the overall reduction was 2-4 log10 (CFU/ml) after 45 min. This reduction is highly significant from a public health perspective.Conclusion:From the data obtained from this study, it can be concluded that fresh and frozen chicken meat sold in the different markets of Wasit Province was highly contaminated by S. aureus during the study period with a total prevalence of 54.2%; among those, 33.3% were recognized as MRSA. Under the conditions described in the present study, O3 at the concentration of 0.5 ppm is highly effective in reducing the number of MRSA-positive samples and the number decreased with increased exposure time to ozonated water at the same concentration. These findings indicated that O3 treatment might constitute the basis for an alternative method to reduce meat contamination with foodborne pathogens such as MRSA.

Particular device producing ozonated water to treat dentinal sensitivity: a pilot study

“…Antimicrobial activity was tested also tested on less studied bacterial species [21,22,23]. Another interesting application of ozonated water is the use at a cosmetic level for dental bleaching.…”

Antimicrobial Resistance and Biofilm Encoding Genes Amongst the Staphylococcus aureus Bacteria Isolated From Meat and Meat Products

“…Incidence of S. aureus bacteria amongst raw meat samples examined in surveys conducted on Denmark [13], Egypt [14], Turkey [15], Germany [16] and Brazil [17] were 52%, 40.80%, 30%, 71.50% and 21.72%, respectively. Incidence of S. aureus in meat products in Iran [18], China [19], India [20], USA [21], Iraq [22], and Nigeria [23] were 9.86%, 35%, 21.81%, 27.90%, 54.20%, and 9.70%, respectively. Total incidence of S. aureus amongst the beef, camel meat, chicken, mutton, beef burger, beef sausage, ground beef, chicken burger, ground chicken, and chicken sausage samples collected from Libya were 20%, 23.80%, 40%, 0%, 25%, 33%, 36.40%, 50%, 20%, and 10%, respectively [24].…”

High Efficacy of Ozonated Oils on the Removal of Biofilms Produced by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from Infected Diabetic Foot Ulcers

“…The ozonated oil affects bacterial cell permeability, induced by the loss of intracellular K + ion content, and leading to a reduction of cytoplasmic content in S. aureus bacterial cells. Moreover, the effect of ozone on bacteria cell membrane may also be the result of the high instability of ozone that leads to its rapid decomposition in free radicals, which spread quickly through the bacterial cell, disturbing the usual cellular activity [44,45]. Nevertheless, bacteria prefer to grow as communities called biofilms, which are responsible for nearly 80% of all human infections, and one of their most critical features is their considerably higher resistance to environmental stresses, antimicrobials, disinfectants, and host immune defenses [46].…”