Molecular detection of vancomycin and methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from food processing environments

Ahosanul H Shahid; K H M Nazmul Hussain Nazir; Mohamed E El Zowalaty; Ajran Kabir; Shahjahan A Sarker; Mahbubul P Siddique; Hossam M Ashour

doi:10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100276

Molecular detection of vancomycin and methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from food processing environments

One Health. 2021 Jun 8:13:100276. doi: 10.1016/j.onehlt.2021.100276. eCollection 2021 Dec.

Authors

Ahosanul H Shahid¹, K H M Nazmul Hussain Nazir¹, Mohamed E El Zowalaty², Ajran Kabir¹, Shahjahan A Sarker¹, Mahbubul P Siddique¹, Hossam M Ashour³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology and Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh 2202, Bangladesh.
² Zoonosis Science Center, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, SE-75 123 Uppsala, Sweden.
³ Department of Integrative Biology, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, USA.

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known foodborne pathogen. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of S. aureus isolated from serving utensils in food processing environments in Mymensingh city, Bangladesh and to determine their antibiogram and resistance determinants. A total of 120 environmental samples were collected from different food settings. Isolation and identification were conducted using conventional biochemical tests. Molecular identification of isolates and detection of methicillin and vancomycin resistance were done using primer-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting Tuf, nuc, mecA, and mecC genes. Antibiotic sensitivity tests were performed, and resistance genes were also detected by amplifying bla _TEM , vanA, vanB, and vanC genes. Among the 120 samples, 81 (67.5%) were positive for Staphylococcus spp. and 41 (50.62%) were positive for the nuc-gene. Among the 41 isolates, 5 (12.20%) were positive for mecA, but none were positive for the mecC gene. A total of 12.2% of the isolates were vanC-positive, of which 4 isolates (9.76%) were also positive for the mecA gene. Antibiotic sensitivity testing revealed that all S. aureus isolates (100%) from hotel samples were sensitive to ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol, 90.32% were sensitive to doxycycline, and 80.65% were sensitive to streptomycin. Conversely, all isolates (100%) were resistant to ampicillin, and 29.03% were resistant to vancomycin. All S. aureus isolates obtained from non-hotel samples were susceptible to chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, meropenem, and vancomycin; however, 40% of isolates were resistant to novobiocin. Among the hotel isolates, 29 (93.55%) of the ampicillin-resistant isolates harbored the blaTEM gene while 5 (55.55%) of the vancomycin-resistant isolates harbored the vanC gene. Four of the five vanC positive isolates were also positive for the mecA gene. The presence of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) which is also vancomycin-resistant in food processing environments is a threat to public health. This is the first report on the molecular detection of methicillin and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus isolated from food processing environments in Bangladesh.

Keywords: Methicillin; One health; Staphylococcus aureus; Vancomycin; antimicrobial resistance.