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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #422581
Research Project: Alternatives to Antibiotics and Genomics of Antimicrobial Resistance to Control Foodborne Pathogens in Poultry

Location: Poultry Microbiological Safety and Processing Research Unit

Title: Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence gene profiles of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from retail chicken meat

Author
item FARAJ, RAWAH - Tuskegee University
item RAMADAN, HAZEM - Mansoura University
item BENTUM, KINGSLEY - Tuskegee University
item ALKARAGHULLI, BILLAL - Tuskegee University
item WOUBE, YILKAL - Tuskegee University
item HASSAN, ZAKARIA - Tuskegee University
item SAMUEL, TEMESGEN - Tuskegee University
item ADESLYUN, ABIODUN - University Of The West Indies
item Jackson, Charlene
item ABEBE, WOUBIT - Tuskegee University

Submitted to: Pathogens
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2025
Publication Date: 1/22/2025
Citation: Faraj, R., Ramadan, H., Bentum, K., Alkaraghulli, B., Woube, Y., Hassan, Z., Samuel, T., Adeslyun, A., Jackson, C.R., Abebe, W. 2025. Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and virulence gene profiles of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from retail chicken meat. Pathogens. 14, 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14020107.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens14020107

Interpretive Summary: Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterium that is commonly found on the skin or in the nasal passages of humans and animals. Staphylococcal food poisoning, caused by enterotoxins and characterized by vomiting and diarrhea, is a leading cause of foodborne illness in the U.S. As food sources of S. aureus include retail meat, this study investigated the prevalence, toxin gene, and antibiotic resistance profile of S. aureus recovered from retail poultry meat samples. Of 200 samples, 16% were positive for S. aureus, and these were recovered from the thigh (37.5%), wings (34.4%), gizzard (15.6%), and liver 12.5%. Antibiotic resistance was low; only isolate was resistant to more than two classes of antibiotics. Four isolates were positive for the mecA gene associated with Methicillin-Resistant S. aureus (MRSA). One MRSA isolate contained a large plasmid which was the source of resistance to penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin, and oxacillin. Plasmids harbored most antimicrobial resistance genes and staphylococcal enterotoxin genes identified among the isolates. This study raises awareness of the continuous circulation of pathogenic microbes like S. aureus in retail poultry meat. This is especially useful for consumers and personnel who handle raw meat as safe handling methods should be followed to avoid exposure to MRSA. It is also useful for scientists as they develop prevention and control strategies.

Technical Abstract: The presence of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in retail meat is a public health threat requiring continuous surveillance. This study investigated the prevalence, toxin gene, and antibiotic resistance profile of S. aureus recovered from retail poultry meat samples. Of 200 samples, 16% (32/200) tested positive for S. aureus, and these were recovered from the thigh 37.5% (12/32), wings 34.4% (11/32), gizzard (15.6% (5/32), and liver 12.5% (4/32) samples. Findings of spa typing analysis revealed that 68.8% (22/32), 18.8% (6/32), 9.4% (3/32), and 3.0% (1/32) of the isolates belonged to spa types t267, t160, t548 and t008, respectively. For antibiotic susceptibility testing, 12.5% (4/32) of the isolates were resistant to only penicillin, but one isolate (1/32; 3%) showed resistance to the antibiotics penicillin, erythromycin, ampicillin, and oxacillin. PCR analysis revealed that 9.4% (3/32) of the isolates carried the mecA gene associated with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates. One MRSA isolate was identified as a t008 spa type and harbored a 26,974 bp-sized plasmid, which was the source of its resistance to penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin, and oxacillin. The staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) genes seg, sei, sek, seb, selm, and seln were also identified among the isolates, and mostly the antimicrobial and enterotoxin genes were carried on plasmids of the isolates. This study raises awareness of the continuous circulation of pathogenic microbes like S. aureus in retail poultry meat. Hence, consumers must handle such meat with care and hygiene.