Prevalence, molecular identification and determination of antibiotic susceptibility of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in raw meat

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, molecular identification, and antibiotic susceptibility of MRSA in raw meats of retail sale in Balikesir, Turkey. Materials and Methods: A total of 250raw meat samples (beef n=100, chicken n=100, and turkey n=50) were collected from various supermarkets. Mueller-Hinton Broth medium containing 6.5% NaCl was used for pre-enrichment and Baird Parker Agar (BPA) was used as a selective medium. Polymerase Chain Reaction technique was used to confirm the suspected colonies with the nuc gene for S. aureus and the mecA gene for MRSA. Kirby-Bauer standard disc diffusion method was applied for antibiotic susceptibility of MRSA. Results: Of the 250 investigated raw meat samples, 21.2% were positive for S. aureus, which comprised 31% beef, 14% chicken, and 16 %turkey samples. Of the 250 investigated raw meat samples, 4% were positive for MRSA, which comprised 6% beef, 3% chicken, and 2% turkey samples. All MRSA isolates were found to be resistant to penicillin, sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, cefoxitin, and oxacillin, but they were susceptible to vancomycin. Conclusion: In recent years, MRSA has been called a zoonotic pathogen that poses a serious risk for food safety and public health. Therefore, we believe that this study will shed light on new studies on the prevalence of MRSA in various animal-originated foods.