Investigation of the virulence, antibiotic resistance, and enterotoxin genes of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from nugget and salad samples

Najmeh Vahed  Dehkordi; Ebrahim  Rahimi

doi:10.18502/ijm.v17i5.19890

Najmeh Vahed Dehkordi Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
Ebrahim Rahimi Research Center of Nutrition and Organic Products, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v17i5.19890

Keywords: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Antibiotic resistance; Enterotoxin genes; Nugget; Salad; Poly- merase chain reaction

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant cause of illness from consuming contaminated food. MRSA is mainly known for its ability to develop resistance to antibiotics including meth- icillin. This research examined the antimicrobial resistance pattern, enterotoxigenic dispensation, virulence factors, and biotyping for MRSA isolates.

Materials and Methods: Susceptibility of S. aureus isolates to 13 types of antibiotics were assessed, and the genes associ- ated with the resistance were investigated. Disk diffusion was used to identify the phenotypic tenet of antibiotic resistance. PCR is instrumental in detecting genes that confer resistance to antibiotics, virulence and enterotoxin genes.

Results: S. aureus were found in 167 out of 363 nugget and salad samples, representing 46% of the total sample count. Seventy-eight isolates (46.71%) were identified as MRSA bacteria. Its prevalence in different sources was as follows: 10% in bovine, 0% in ovine, 30% in poultry, and 56% in humans. MRSA displays high prevalence of resistance to cefotaxime and tetracycline (100%). coa was the most prevalent virulence factor (100%) in MRSA.

Conclusion: Distribution of antibiotic resistance genes in MRSA, highlights a serious health issue, as the presence of different antibiotic resistance genes exacerbates multidrug resistance in MRSA isolates.