TITLE:
Prevalence of Toxins and Antimicrobial Resistance among E. coli Isolated from Meat
AUTHORS:
Shaymaa H. Abdel-Rhman, Sara M. Khalifa, Khaled H. Abd El Galil, Rasha M. Barwa
KEYWORDS:
Enterotoxin, E. coli, Antimicrobial Resistance, Meat Products
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Microbiology,
Vol.5 No.11,
October
21,
2015
ABSTRACT: Aim: The present study aims to evaluate the
occurrence and characterize E. coli in meat and meat products marketed
in Egypt based on their antimicrobial-resistance pattern and production of
enterotoxins. Methods: A total of 250 meat samples, categorized as 80 fresh
beef, 85 ground beef and 85 beef burger purchased from supermarkets and
butchers’ shops were used for isolation of E. coli. All isolates were
screened for antimicrobial susceptibility. Plasmid profile analyses were done.
Polymerase chain reactions were performed for detection of enterotoxin-encoding
genes (astA, eaeA, stx1 and stx2). Results: Twenty-five samples were isolated and identified
as E. coli. 14 isolates were multidrug resistant. Plasmids isolation
from all isolates revealed that 76% of these isolates harbored plasmids. astA gene was amplified in 7 isolates (28%). Eight (32%) isolates
harbored eaeA gene. However, none of the isolates harbored stx1 or stx2 genes.
Analysis of multiple drug resistant isolates revealed a significant relation
between multiple drug resistance and both astA and eaeA. Conclusion:
The study confirmed the prevalence of enterotoxin genes (astA and eaeA) in E. coli isolated from meat product and the association between the presence of these
genes and multiple drug resistant phenomena.