Prevalence of Salmonella Species in Minced Beef and Meat Handlers and Their Drug Resistance

Abstract

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella spp. in minced beef and meat handlers; also the antimicrobial resistance profile of the isolated strains was evaluated. A total of 85 minced beef beside 65 human samples (25 stools and 40 hand swabs) were collected randomly from different local supermarkets and butcher shops in Beni-Suef Governorate, Egypt between March and November 2014. All samples were investigated for bacteriologic and serologic identification of Salmonella spp., beside evaluation of antimicrobial resistance and sensitivity pattern of the isolated strains. Salmonella spp. could be recovered from minced beef at a rate of 9.4% and from human hand swabs and stools at a rate of 7.5% and 4% respectively. The detected serotypes were S. Kentucky O:8,20 H:I,z6 (8 isolates) and S. Augestinborg O:6,7 H:I,1,3 (4 isolates). As regard to antimicrobial susceptibility profile, the highest number of S. Kentucky isolates from meat showed resistance against chloramphenicol (83.3%) followed by tetracycline and ciprofloxacin (66.7%), gentamicin (50%) and finally ampicillin, cephalothin and streptomycin (16.7%). On the other hand, S. Kentucky isolates from humans exhibited 100% sensitivity against ampicillin, cephalothin and streptomycin and 50% resistance against tetracycline, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and chloramphenicol. Regarding S. Augestinborg, it was found highly susceptible (100%) to tetracycline, ampicillin, cephalothin and streptomycin; however 1 strain (50%) from each beef and human samples showed multiple resistance against gentamicin and chloramphenicol. On conclusion, Salmonella spp., of the same serotypes, were isolated from both minced beef and human handlers which suggests that considerable transfer of Salmonella through food chain. Also, the identification of multi-drug resistant strains should be regarded as a serious thread for the public health.