article · Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part B
Contamination of dairy foods with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) poses a severe public health hazard. An examination of 125 dairy samples collected in Egypt, comprising raw market milk, bulk tank milk, Kareish cheese, white soft cheese, and small-scale ice cream, yielded 36 STEC isolates. Serotyping revealed that three isolates were E. coli O157:H7, while 33 belonged to other serotypes. All 36 strains carried stx1 or stx2 virulence genes, 14 contained the eaeA gene, and three possessed the rfbE gene. Antimicrobial resistance testing demonstrated that 31 isolates, or 86.11 percent, were multidrug-resistant and carried extended-spectrum beta-lactamase genes, including blaCTX-M-15, blaSHV-12, and blaCTX-M-14. In addition, 12 isolates possessed the quinolone resistance gene qnrS. These results demonstrate that poor hygiene during milking, handling, and dairy processing facilitates the spread of dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria.
Foodborne contamination by Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli can trigger severe human illness. The discovery of high levels of multidrug resistance and resistance-encoding genes in everyday dairy products highlights critical public health risks. Because these bacteria can withstand common antibiotics, infections become significantly harder to treat, making robust hygiene standards in dairy collection and processing crucial for consumer protection.
The abstract does not indicate a direct commercial application pathway. However, the surveillance findings provide early-stage baseline evidence that could inform food safety regulators and dairy processing organisations seeking to evaluate contamination risks, benchmark testing procedures, and upgrade sanitary handling protocols across the supply chain.
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Food contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> (STEC) represents a hazardous public health problem worldwide. Therefore, the present study was performed to elucidate the virulent and antimicrobial resistance characteristics of STEC isolated from milk and dairy products marketed in Egypt. A total of 125 samples (raw market milk, bulk tank milk, Kareish cheese, white soft cheese, and small scale-produced ice cream, 25 each) were collected for determination the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profiling of STEC. Thirty-six STEC isolates were recovered from milk and dairy products. Serological analysis illustrated that three isolates were <i>E. coli</i> O157:H7 and 33 isolates belonged to different serotypes. Molecular examination indicated that all isolates harboured <i>stx1</i> and/or <i>stx2</i> genes, 14 isolates expressed <i>eaeA</i> gene and 3 isolates possessed <i>rfbE</i> gene. Antimicrobial resistance profiling of the isolates was both phenotypically and genetically examined. Interestingly, 31 out of 36 (86.11%) isolates were multidrug-resistant and harboured the extended-spectrum β-lactamase encoding genes, namely, <i>bla</i><sub>CTX-M-15</sub>, <i>bla</i><sub>SHV-12</sub> and <i>bla</i><sub>CTX-M-14</sub>. Moreover, 12 isolates (33.33%) harboured plasmid-mediated quinolone resistant gene, <i>qnrS</i>. The overall conclusion of the current investigation indicated insufficient hygienic measures adopted during milking, handling, and processing leading to development of pathogenic and multidrug-resistant STEC.
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DOI: 10.1080/03601234.2019.1686312
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