Antibiotic Resistance Profiles and ARG Detection from Isolated Bacteria in a Culture-Dependent Study at the Codfish Industry Level

• Published in: Foods
• Main Authors: Gianluigi Ferri, Carlotta Lauteri, Mauro Scattolini, Alberto Vergara
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
• Subjects: seafood industry; Gadidae; salted and seasoned products; soaked products; high pressure processing; antibiotic resistance; antibiotic resistance genes; one-health; Gadus morhua
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12081699

The antibiotic resistance phenomenon horizontally involves numerous bacteria cultured from fresh or processed seafood matrix microbiomes. In this study, the identified bacteria from food-producing processes and industrial environments were screened for phenotypic and genotypic resistance determinants. A total of 684 bacterial strains [537 from processed codfish (Gadus morhua and Gadus macrocephalus) products as salted and seasoned and soaked and 147 from environmental samples] were isolated. Antibiotic susceptibility tests showed resistance against tetracycline, oxacillin, and clindamycin in the Staphylococcus genus (both from food and environmental samples) and against beta-lactams (cefotaxime, carbapenems, etc.) and nitrofurans (nitrofurantoin) from E. coli and Salmonella enterica serovar. Enteritidis isolates. One-thousand and ten genetic determinants—tetracycline tetC (25.17%), tetK (21.06%), tetL (11.70%), clindamycin ermC (17.23%), ermB (7.60%), linezolid cfr (8.22%), optrA (3.62%), poxtA (2.05%), and oxacillin mecA (17.37%)—were amplified from Gram-positive resistant and phenotypically susceptible bacteria. Concerning Gram-negative bacteria, the beta-lactam-resistant genes (blaTEM, blaCIT, blaCTX-M, blaIMP, blaKPC, blaOXA-48-like) represented 57.30% of the amplified ARGs. This study found high antibiotic resistance genes in circulation in the fish food industry chain from the macro- to microenvironment. The obtained data confirmed the diffusion of the “antibiotic resistance phenomenon” and its repercussions on the One-health and food-producing systems.