Antibiotic Resistance in Enterococcus spp. Recovered from Traditional Cheese Types

Background and Objectives:Contamination of the raw milk cheese with animal, human or environmental enterococcal strains during different stages of processing is likely to occur. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence, the antibiotic susceptibility patterns and virulence determinantsofE. faecalis and E. faeciumobtained from traditional cheese types in the North-west of Iran.Materials and Methods:Fifty samples of popular traditional cheese types from dairy stores of Urmia and Tabriz,Iran, were collected. Identification of enterococci was done using phenotypic and molecular methods at the genus and species level.Results:Forty eight(96 %) of 50 traditional cheese samples were harboring Enterococcus spp, including Enterococcus faecalis(n= 40; 83.33 %) and Enterococcus faecium(n= 8; 16.67 %). The most common antibiotic non-susceptible pattern observed was resistance towards rifampicin(n= 38; 79.2 %), which was followed by quinupristin/dalfopristin(n= 33; 68.75 %).Conclusion:the results of our study indicated high levels of contamination with Enterococcus spp. that could harbor antibiotic resistance and potential virulence traits. Meanwhile, E. faecalis was the most common species isolated. The presence and expression of virulence determinants and antibiotic resistance in these strains provided evidence showing that the detrimental aspects of enterococciin cheese could be a public health hazard.

کلیدواژه ها:

E. faecalis ، E. faecium ، antibiotic resistance ، virulence factors ، traditional cheese