M I C R O B I A L F L O R A A N D F O O D B O R N E P A T H O G E N S O N M I N C E D M E A T A N D T H E I R S U S C E P T I B I L I T Y T O A N T I M I C R O B I A L A G E N T S

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Food-borne pathogens are the leading cause of illness and death in developing countries.Changes in eating habits, mass catering, unsafe food storage conditions and poor hygiene practices are majorcontributing factors to food associated illnesses. In Ethiopia, the widespread habit of raw beef consumption ispotential cause for food borne illnesses. The present study aimed at investigating the microbial quality of meatavailable in common retail shops, restaurants and abattoir of Jimma City and determining susceptibility patternof bacterial isolates.METHOD: A total of 165 samples from food establishments, butcher shops and a slaughter houses wereprocessed and analyzed for the presence of indicator bacterial and potential food pathogens using standardsmethods. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed for Salmonella, Shigella and Staphylococcus aureusisolates using Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method.RESULTS: A total of 165 samples were collected from twenty four hotels and five butchers and an aba ttoir.Various food borne pathogens were isolated in 13 (43.3%) and indicator organisms in 29 (96.7%) out of thethirty food establishments (hotels, butchery and abattoir). Overall, ten different bacterial species were isolatedwhich included, proteus spp 89 (53.9%), E. coli 44 (26.6%), Providencia spp 23 (13.9%) Citrobacter spp 15(9%),Pseudomonas spp 9 (5.5%), Klebsiella spp 2 (1.2%), Enterobacter spp 2 (1.2%), Salmonella spp 2(1.2%), andShigella species 1 (0.6%). Out of the 44 E. coli isolates 37 (84%) were thermo tolerant E. coli and out of thegram positive organisms identified 20 (12.1%) were Staphylococcus aureus isolates. From the two Salmonellaisolates one was susceptible against all 12 tested antimicrobials, while the other to all the 11 except c ephalexin.Shigella dysentery was resistant only to co-trimoxazole and tetracycline. Out of the 20 S. aureus isolates, 90%showed resistance to oxacillin, 85% to ampicillin, 65% to erythromycin, 60% to amoxicillin, 35% tostreptomycin, and 20% to vancomycin and all isolates were sensitive to co-trimoxazole (100%). In this study,90% (18/20) of the S. aureus isolates were Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.CONCLUSION: In this study high percentage of indicator organisms as well as food borne patho gens wereidentified, which shows unhygienic condition of handling and processing in the food establishments. Our dataalso confirmed the presence of resistant food pathogens; particularly Staphylococcus aureus isolates which areMethicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and multidrug resistant that emphasizes close follow up in t heutilization of antibiotics. Therefore, meat handlers and sellers should be educated on the adverse effect of lackof proper personal, environmental hygiene and sanitation. In addition, consumers should be made aware of therisk of consuming raw and inadequately cooked meat.