Multidrug-resistant microorganisms associated with slightly spoilt oranges

Abstract

Slightly spoilt oranges are a breeding ground for microbial growth, potentially leading to foodborne illnesses and the development of Antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance is known to pose serious human, animal, and environmental public health threats. This study therefore aimed at isolating microorganisms associated with slightly spoilt oranges as well as determining the multidrug-resistant microorganisms present in the slightly spoilt oranges. Microbial and physicochemical parameters were determined using standard methods. Slightly spoilt orange recorded 60.4 % as against the healthy range of 80-89 % Bacillus sp. (Code OS 3) had the highest frequency of occurrence (33.3 %). Four different fungal species of Chrysonilia were isolated from the slightly spoilt oranges. Three of the Bacillus spp. were multidrug-resistant, and the fungal isolates were basically resistant to two out of three antifungal agents employed for the antifungal susceptibility. This may pose a human health threat if these slightly spoilt oranges are continually consumed. Overall, this study reveals that these slightly spoilt oranges are unfit for consumption as multidrug-resistant microorganisms of public health risk were associated with them.