Molecular detection of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from local fish in Mosul city

Abstract

Methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can harm public health as they can cause widespread food poisoning and resistance to multiple antibiotics. Hence, our objective was to examine the prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA among fish shops, utensils, and workers' hands in Mosul City. We were able to find the nuc and mecA genes in S. aureus and MRSA isolates, respectively, via the PCR approach. In March and April of 2023, one hundred samples randomly selected from fish and various other store surfaces in Mosul were taken for this inquiry. S. aureus isolates the nuc gene, which can be identified in 19% of the samples. The worker hand samples had eight of the top isolates, in contrast to the fish's three isolates out of twenty. Additionally, because the mecA gene existed in 12 of the 19 S. aureus isolates (63.2%), methicillin resistance was shown. The hand samples of the workers had a higher percentage of methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates 75% (6/8) than other samples. According to the study, a significant amount of S. aureus was showing in fish and associated utensils, revealing that the fishing industry was not suitably subsequent food safety laws. Based on this study, a significant amount of S. aureus was discovered in fish and associated utensils, revealing that the fishing industry was not appropriately following food safety laws.

Keywords

• virulence gene
• mrsa
• food safety
• food poisoning
• fish