Detection of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus and its antibiotics resistance profile, recovered from cattle carcasses of the state of Paraná, Brazil

Abstract

Staphylococcus sp. is a commensal bacterium in humans. Nonetheless, it is considered as an opportunistic microbe, being frequently associated with food poisoning outbreaks and antimicrobial resistance. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the presence of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus sp. in 100 cattle carcasses slaughtered in a slaughterhouse in the northwestern region of Paraná, Brazil, and to identify its in vitro resistance profile against different antimicrobials. Samples were collected through swabs from the slaughtered cattle carcasses, and then were forwarded to the Preventive Veterinary Medicine laboratory, at University of Parananese (UNIPAR). From the 100 samples, 18 (18%) recorded growth of microorganisms, and 16 samples of these were selected for the antimicrobial assay, according to the standard count for coagulase-positive Staphylococcus. Results of antibiogram showed that; 56.25% of the samples were resistant to Vancomycin, 50% to Penicillin, 31.25% to Tetracycline and Ampicillin, 18.75% to Erythromycin and Enrofloxacin, 12.5% to Oxacillin, 6.25% to Gentamicin and Clindamycin, whereas, only Cephalothin did not show resistance to any of the samples tested. Current study reported that antibiotic resistant strains (ARS) of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus sp. were present in the collected samples; and could have been originated from the food handlers, the utensils, the environment, or even from the animal itself. Accordingly, such results showed that it is important to stimulate the good hygiene and sanitary conditions of the food handlers, making them aware of their responsibility towards single health. Moreover, the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials may be responsible for the increase in the antibiotic resistant S. aureus.

Keywords

• food safety
• staphylococci
• meat inspection
• microbiological quality
• antimicrobial resistance