The Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Foodborne Bacteria Isolated from Chicken Meat in Local Markets

Hefny, Esraa Gaber; El-Toukhy, Essam Isamail; Saleh, Hala Abdelhakem; Allam, Yasmeen Mohamed Abo Dief; Youssef, Wessam Mohamed; Adel, Nirose; Abd Elwahab, Shaimaa Hassan; Koraney, Naglaa Fathey

doi:10.21608/ejvs.2025.417053.3081

The Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Foodborne Bacteria Isolated from Chicken Meat in Local Markets

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Senior researcher Food Hygiene Department, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Centre (ARC), Dokki, Giaz12618,Egypt.

² Biotechnology department, Animal Health Research Institute, Dokki, Agriculture Research Center, Giza, Egyp

³ Bacteriology Department, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Centre (ARC), Dokki, Giza 12618, Egypt.

⁴ Biotechnology Unit, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Dokki, Giza 12618, Egypt.

⁵ Reference Lab for Safety Analysis of Food of Animal Origin, Food Hygiene Department, Animal Health Research Institute, Dokki, Agricultural Research Center (ARC

10.21608/ejvs.2025.417053.3081

Abstract

Foodborne pathogens in poultry products represent a major public health concern, particularly with the increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance. This study aimed to assess the occurrence, antimicrobial resistance profiles, and resistance genes of Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus isolated from chicken meat and market environments in El-Fayoum, Egypt. A total of 120 samples were collected and examined bacteriologically, followed by antimicrobial susceptibility testing and PCR detection of selected resistance genes.
The findings revealed prevalence rates of 57.3% for E. coli, 5.8% for Salmonella spp., and 29.2% for S. aureus. All isolates exhibited multidrug resistance, with E. coli showing high resistance to aminoglycosides, β-lactams, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones. Salmonella spp. and S. aureus also demonstrated resistance to most of the tested antibiotics. Molecular analysis identified blaCTX-M in 83.3% of E. coli isolates, mecA in 50%, and vanA in 33.3% of S. aureus, confirming the circulation of ESβL-producing E. coli, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA).
The sequencing results confirmed the presence of five E. coli strains that carry the blaCTX-M-14 and blaCTX-M-15 genes, as well as one S. aureus strain that harbors the mecA gene. Phylogenetic tree analysis of the sequenced E. coli revealed a high degree of genetic relatedness among them.
The result in this work emphasizes the urgent need for stricter regulations on antimicrobial use in poultry production, improved hygienic practices in local markets, and continuous surveillance to mitigate the spread of resistant pathogens and safeguard consumer health.

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