DETECTION OF ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANT PATHOGEN IN READY TO EAT FOODS

ABSTRACT The growing popularity of ready-to-eat foods like meat pie, shawarma and gurasa stems from their appealing flavor and nutritional benefits. Despite this, these foods can act as carriers for harmful microorganisms. This study was conducted to evaluate the antibiotic resistance patterns of bacterial pathogens isolated from meat pie, shawarma and gurasa. Samples were obtained from five different locations, and standard microbiological techniques, including pour plate methods and disc diffusion testing were used for bacterial isolation and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Isolates were identified based on their morphological and biochemical traits. The identified bacteria included Escherichia coli, Bacillus spp., Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella spp. Among these, Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequently detected, accounting for 37.5% of isolates followed by Escherichia coli and klebsiella spp with 20% in total bacterial counts between samples. Meat-pie has the lowest bacterial load (14.21 × 106 CFU/g). Antibiotic resistant testing revealed high resistance rates: all S. aureus isolates (15/15) were resistant to Rocephin, Ampicilox, Azithromycin, Levoflaxacin and Erthromycin; E. coli isolates (8/8) showed 100% resistant to Gentamycin and peflacine. Salmonella spp. (2/2) resistant to ciprofloxacin and Augmentin, Ceporex, Ceftrioxone; and all Bacillus spp. (7/7) were resistant to Rocephin, Ampiclox, Azithromycin and Zinnacef. These findings highlight serious public health concerns, as the consumption of such contaminated foods may lead to infections that are difficult to treat due to antibiotic resistance.