Antibiotic Susceptibility of Staphylococcus Species Isolated in Raw Chicken Meat from Retail Stores

Abstract

The study was aimed at evaluating the presence of antibiotic-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in retailed raw chicken meat from retail stores intended for human consumption. The presence, characterization, and antibiotic susceptibility of <i>S. aureus</i> from 38 retail raw chicken meat samples was performed using a standard microbiological method involving mannitol salt agar (MSA) and Mueller-Hinton agar (MHA). All the samples were positive for <i>Staphylococcus</i> species, of which 34 (89.5%) were positive for <i>S. aureus</i>. The <i>S. aureus</i> isolates were most resistant to tetracycline (88.24%), erythromycin (82.35%), and chloramphenicol (61.77%). Nevertheless, decreased resistance towards gentamycin (23.53%) and cotrimoxazole (38.24%) were recorded. All the <i>S. aureus</i> isolates in this study were resistant to cloxacillin, amoxicillin, and augmentin (amoxicillin + clavulanic acid). The present findings show how the raw chicken meat samples could be a potential source of multidrug-resistant <i>S. aureus</i> strains dissemination. Therefore, this study suggests high-level contamination of meat with multidrug-resistant <i>S. aureus</i> and highlights the public health consequences of consuming such products. Undoubtedly, uncontrolled drugs in food animal production as growth stimulators or medicinal treatment present a possible consequence to people's health. Having the aforementioned in mind, there is a necessity to control the use of drugs and monitor any residues left in the food intended for human consumption.