Richter, Loandi ORCID: 0000-0003-1730-7781, Plessis, Erika Du ORCID: 0000-0002-5582-1434, Duvenage, Stacey ORCID: 0000-0002-5984-1491 and Korsten, Lise ORCID: 0000-0003-0232-7659 (2021) High prevalence of multidrug resistant Escherichia coli isolated from fresh vegetables sold by selected formal and informal traders in the most densely populated Province of South Africa. Journal of Food Science, 86 (1). pp. 161-168. ISSN 0022-1147 (doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.15534)

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Abstract

Contaminated fresh produce has increasingly been implicated in foodborne disease outbreaks. As microbiological safety surveillance in South Africa is limited, a total of 545 vegetable samples (spinach, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, and green beans) were purchased from retailers, street traders, trolley vendors and farmers' markets. Escherichia coli, coliforms and Enterobacteriaceae were enumerated and the prevalence of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes determined. E. coli isolates were characterized phenotypically (antibiotic resistance) and genotypically (diarrheagenic virulence genes). Coliforms, E. coli and Enterobacteriaceae counts were mostly not significantly different between formal and informal markets, with exceptions noted on occasion. When compared to international standards, 90% to 98% tomatoes, 70% to 94% spinach, 82% cucumbers, 93% lettuce, and 80% green bean samples, had satisfactory (≤ 100 CFU/g) E. coli counts. Of the 545 vegetable samples analyzed, 14.86% (n = 81) harbored E. coli, predominantly from leafy green vegetables. Virulence genes (lt, st, bfpA, eagg, eaeA, stx1, stx2, and ipaH) were not detected in the E. coli isolates (n = 67) characterized, however 40.30% were multidrug-resistant. Resistance to aminoglycosides (neomycin, 73.13%; gentamycin, < 10%), penicillins (ampicillin, 38.81%; amoxicillin, 41.79%; augmentin, < 10%), sulfonamides (cotrimoxazole, 22.39%), tetracycline (19.4%), chloramphenicol (11.94%), cephalosporins (cefepime, 34.33%), and carbapenemases (imipenem, < 10%) were observed. This study highlights the need for continued surveillance of multidrug resistant foodborne pathogens in fresh produce retailed formally and informally for potential consumer health risks. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: The results indicate that the microbiological quality of different vegetables were similar per product type, regardless of being purchased from formal retailers or informal street traders, trolley vendors or farmers' markets. Although no pathogenic bacteria (diarrheagenic E. coli, Salmonella spp. or L. monocytogenes) were isolated, high levels of multidrug-resistance was observed in the generic E. coli isolates. These findings highlight the importance of microbiological quality surveillance of fresh produce in formal and informal markets, as these products can be a reservoir of multidrug resistant bacteria harboring antibiotic resistance and virulence genes, potentially impacting human health.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Food Safety
Subjects:	S Agriculture > S Agriculture (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Engineering & Science Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute Faculty of Engineering & Science > Natural Resources Institute > Food & Markets Department
Related URLs:	Publisher Publisher http://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33294974/
Last Modified:	09 Dec 2021 01:38
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/33531

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