Amirhossein Saadati - Doctor Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
Zohreh Mashak - Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran.
Mohammad Saeid Yarmand - Department of Food Science and Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Introduction and Objectives: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains are considered a major cause of foodborne diseases. Poultry meat play an important role in transmission of MRSA strains to human population. The present research was done to study the antibiotic resistance pattern of MRSA strains isolated from raw poultry meat samples. Materials and Methods: Two-hundred and sixty poultry meat samples were cultured and MRSA strains were identified using cefoxitin (30 μg) and oxacillin (1 μg) susceptibility test. Antibiotic resistance pattern of MRSA strains were studied using simple disk diffusion method. Results: Twenty-two out of 240 (9.16%) raw poultry meat samples were positive for S. aureus strains. Twelve out of 22 S. aureus strains (54.54%) were determined as MRSA strains. MRSA strains harbored the highest prevalence of resistance against penicillin (100%), ceftaroline (100%), tetracycline (100%), gentamicin (83.33%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (75%) antibiotic agents. MRSA strains harbored the lowest prevalence of resistance against chloramphenicol (25%), rifampin (25%), levofloxacin (33.33%), ciprofloxacin (33.33%) and clindamycin (41.66%) antibiotic agents. Conclusion: High prevalence of antibiotic resistance in the MRSA strains pose an important public health threat regarding the role of poultry meat in transmission of antibiotic-resistant MRSA strains to human. Chicken, turkey, quail and ostrich meat may be reservoir of MRSA strains.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Antibiotic resistance pattern, Raw poultry meat.