Occurrence Of Multi Drug Resistant Bacteria From Raw Chicken Meat Of South India Retail Markets.

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance and its dissemination from poultry food to human beings further sequentially to the environment is becoming an ever-increasing distress worldwide. Nowadays a small ratio of meat sample from the rural area itself may be found positive with Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) isolates. This study is aimed to enumerate the prevalence of antibiotic resistant isolates in raw chicken meat collected from retail shops (fresh meat) and supermarkets (frozen meat) situated in different areas of Coimbatore, South India. Also, the study focused to exhibit the severity of consuming poultry food with the antibiotic residues unknowingly. Resistant isolates from raw chicken meats was collected during the period of December 2020 to February 2021 and screened for resistant attributes against antibiotics as per clinical settings using VITEK® 2 Compact. The identified MDR isolates was submitted to the National Database of Antibiotic Resistant Organisms (NDARO). Out of 22 chicken meat samples collected, a total of 50 pathogens were isolated. Among them, 2 frozen chicken meats showed no bacterial growth, and other chicken meat samples was found to have resistant bacteria like MDR E.coli, Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus spp. This study confirmed the presence of MDR isolates in raw chicken meat and it is the first study from South India to evidence the presence of MDR in raw chicken samples. This study also suggests that antimicrobial stewardship programs and monitoring practices needs more concentration in the veterinary antibiotics usage in poultry and Livestock. Hence it is an alarm of poultry stock which leads to risk on public health and ecological system of South India.