ASSESSMENT OF POST HARVEST CONTAMINATION OF SEAFOOD WITH DRUG RESISTANT PATHOGENS OF PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE IN WAYANAD DISTRICT
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Date
2023-01-13
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COLLEGE OF VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCS, POOKODE, WAYANAD, KERALA VETERINARY AND ANIMAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health emergency that causes existing antibiotics to fail therapeutically and raises healthcare costs among humans, animals, and aquaculture sectors. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens such as Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus in retail fish outlets and their environments acts as a potential source of transmission of AMR genes to humans. Hence, the present study aims to determine the occurrence of the above pathogens from different fish markets of the Wayanad district and to assess the prevalence of carbapenem-resistant and Extended- spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) -producing E. coli, Salmonella spp, and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). A total of 216 samples, comprising finfishes (60), crustaceans (60), and molluscans (60) and 36 market environmental (hand wash, surface swab, and ice) samples, were analyzed for the presence of E. coli, Salmonella spp., and S. aureus by conventional microbiological and molecular methods. The prevalence was observed to be 79.63, 12.03, and 67.59 per cent, respectively. Furthermore, the characterization of isolates for ESBL production through the phenotypic disc diffusion method confirmed 66.27 per cent of E. coli isolates and 65.38 per cent of Salmonella spp. isolates as ESBL producers, and by PCR-based genotypic characterization of ESBL revealed 66.27 per cent of E. coli and 65.38 per cent of Salmonella spp. isolates harbouring at least one of the selected ESBL genes, i.e., blaCTX-M, blaTEM, or blaSHV. The ascending order of carbapenem sensitivity of the isolates upon phenotypic assay was imipenem, ertapenem, doripenem, and meropenem for E. coli, whereas the order was imipenem, ertapenem, meropenem and doripenem in the case of Salmonella spp. Carbapenemase genotypic characterization using PCR revealed that E. coli was positive for genes viz., blaOXA (14.53%), blaNDM (6.97%), and Salmonella spp. was positive for blaOXA (3.84 %), blaNDM (3.84%), with none of the isolates positive for the blaIMP gene. The characterization of isolates for MRSA production by the phenotypic disc diffusion method showed more resistance towards oxacillin (11.64%), followed by cefoxitin (5.48 %), and a genotypic assay revealed that 5.48 percent of isolates were found to harbor the mecA gene. The present study confirmed the prevalence of drug-resistant E. coli, Salmonella spp., and S. aureus in retail fish outlets and their environment. Hence, the study recommends retailers adopt stringent hygiene practices to prevent post-harvest contamination of fish.