Genotyping and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens and Clostridioides difficile in Camel Minced Meat

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the occurrence, genotypes, and antimicrobial resistance of Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) and Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) in camel minced meat samples collected from small butcher shops and supermarkets in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Saudi Arabia. A total of 100 camel minced meat samples were randomly collected from small butcher’s shops (n = 50) and supermarkets (n = 50) in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Saudi Arabia. C. perfringens and C. difficile were isolated and identified using the VITEK-2 compact system and 16S rRNA gene amplification. Genotypes, toxin genes, and antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates were determined. Moreover, ELISA was used to detect C. perfringens and C. difficile toxins. C. perfringens and C. difficile were isolated from 14% and 4% of the tested minced meat samples, respectively. Out of the 14 C. perfringens isolates, type A (64.3%), type B (7.1%), type C (21.5%), and type D (7.1%) were detected. However, out of the four C. difficile isolates, three (75%) were type A+B+ and one (25%) was type A−B+. None of the C. perfringens or C. difficile toxins were identified using ELISA. C. perfringens and C. difficile isolates exhibited a high rate of resistance to tetracycline (56% and 75%, respectively). However, all isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanate. Multidrug resistance was observed in three (21.4%) C. perfringens and one (25%) C. difficile isolates. In conclusion, camel minced meat was contaminated with C. perfringens and C. difficile, which present a potential risk of food poisoning. The majority of the isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial, and some isolates were multidrug-resistant. Therefore, food safety standards and frequent inspections of abattoirs, small butcher shops, and supermarkets should be enforced.

Necrotising myositis caused by Clostridium clostridioforme and Clostridium difficile in an alpaca following grain overload

“…A recent study reported the isolation from faeces of South American camelids of unknown health status from seven farms in Germany 13 . Moreover, it was previously isolated from Old World Camels’ minced meat 14 as well as camel faeces 15 in Saudi Arabia and Iran. The presence of this bacteria in the amputated leg's culture of the alpaca in this case report is quite significant for herd prevalence information, as well as for zoonotic purposes, as C. difficile is a bacterium whose prevalence in the United Kingdom is currently unknown.…”

Genomic Insights into Virulence Factors and Multi-Drug Resistance in Clostridium perfringens IRMC2505A

“…Limited research studies in KSA investigated the resistance and occurrence of C. perfringens in camel meat. They showed these bacteria’s high resistance to tetracycline and ceftiofur drugs and, to a lesser extent, other antimicrobial agents (erythromycin, oxytetracycline, penicillin, metronidazole, clindamycin, and lincomycin) [ 12 , 26 , 27 ].…”

Clostridioides difficile in South American Camelids in Germany: First Insights into Molecular and Genetic Characteristics and Antimicrobial Resistance

“…Mostly, they were related to single-domain camelid antibodies as a therapeutic option for CDI (13 articles). Three articles investigated C. difficile and its prevalence in camels [21][22][23]. C. difficile was found in two of these studies, none of these research articles described C. difficile in SAC.…”

“…All isolates were positive for toxin B, three isolates were positive for toxin A. AST was performed by broth microdilution for seven different antimicrobial agents (ceftriaxone, TET, CLI, MEZ, PEN, MOX and AMC). The isolates showed different antimicrobial resistance patterns (TET, CLI + TET, ceftriaxone + TET, PEN + ceftriaxone + MOX) [21].…”