Antimicrobial susceptibility and genotypic characterization of Escherichia coli isolated from foods controlled by the National Food Safety Agency in Burkina Faso

This study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial resistance profiles of Escherichia coli isolated from food samples received at the National Food Safety Agency in Burkina Faso. A total of 155 isolates from dairy foods (29), fish-based dishes (7), mango juices (4), lettuces (35), RTE salads (21), sandwiches (32), and sesames (27) were included for testing with the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. PCR targeting ampicillin (bla_TEM, bla_SHV, temA, and temB), tetracyclines [tet(A) and tet(B)], sulfamethoxazole (sul1 and sul2), aminoglycosides (StrA and aadA) and quinolones (GyrA) resistance genes were performed to elucidate the genotypic resistance mechanism. Of the 155 isolates, 105 (67.7%) were resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent. Resistances to tetracycline (33.5%), ampicillin (32.9%), cefoxitin (18.7%), gentamycin (15.5%), amoxicillin-clavulanate acid (15.5%), nalidixic acid (12.9%), chloramphenicol (11.6%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (11.6%), and ciprofloxacin (8.4%) were observed. Multidrug resistance was recorded in 26.5% of the isolates. Antimicrobial resistance genes including bla_TEM (19/51, 37.3%), bla_SHV (19/51, 37.3%), temB (17/51, 33.3%), tet(A) (24/52, 46.2%), tet(B) (9/52, 17.3%), sul1 (8/18, 44.4%), sul2 (4/18, 22.2%), aadA (11/24, 45.83%) and GyrA (31/36, 86.1%) were detected. All E. coli isolates resistant to at least 2 antibiotics were positive for the class 1 integron gene (intI1). These findings raise concerns about food safety and public health and demonstrate the need for strict government control and continuous monitoring.