Detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae antibiotic-resistant genes: An impending source of multidrug resistance dissemination through raw food

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences

Hasan Ejaz¹  Kashaf Junaid²  Sonia Younas²  Humaira Yasmeen²  Abdul Rehman³  Awadh Alanazi⁴ 

[1] Corresponding author.;Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jouf University, Al Jouf 72388, Saudi Arabia;Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Women University Multan, Pakistan;HKU-Pasteur Research Pole, School of Public Health, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China;

关键词: Raw food;    Food contaminants;    β-lactamase;    Drug resistance;    Antibacterials;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

This study aimed to find out the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profile of Klebsiella pneumoniae in raw food items. A total of 261 raw food items, including vegetables, fruits, meat, and milk samples, were collected and processed for isolation of K. pneumoniae. Further antimicrobial susceptibility testing and molecular analysis was done to analyze the drug resistance encoding genes. The prevalence rate of K. pneumoniae was found to be high (38%), and the raw milk samples were predominantly contaminated (19/51), followed by fruits (12/51), meat (11/51), and vegetables (9/51). However, no significant association was observed for the isolation of K. pneumoniae and any particular specimen. Among the isolates, 43% were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers, 24% were AmpC, and 20% were carbapenemase producers. The highest rates of ESBLs and AmpC were observed in vegetables (cabbage, bell pepper, and spinach) and carbapenemases in raw chicken, fish, and raw meat samples. Notably, blaCTX-M was the most prevalent, followed by blaSHV and blaTEM. Six K. pneumoniae possessed blaMOX, and five possessed blaFOX genes. Numerous carbapenemases were identified with a higher proportion of blaNDM. This study indicates that raw vegetables, fruits, meat, and milk are exposed to contaminants. These findings imply a potential threat that drug-resistant K. pneumoniae pathogens could transmit to humans through raw vegetables, fruits, and meat.

【 授权许可】

Unknown