Prevalence, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Genetic Characteristics of Isolates in Frozen Flour and Rice Products in Shanghai, China

Overview

Journal Curr Res Food Sci

Date 2023 Nov 29

PMID 38021263

Authors

Jiang Chang

Yi Zhang

Zengfeng Zhang

Bo Chen

Shoukui He

Zeqiang Zhan

Nan Zhong

Xiaorong Tian

Shimo Kang

Kannappan Arunachalam

Chunlei Shi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

is widely recognized as a highly hazardous pathogen that poses significant threats to food safety and public health. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and genetic characteristics of isolates recovered from 288 frozen flour and rice product samples in Shanghai, China, between September 2019 and May 2020. A total of 81 isolates were obtained, representing 25 sequence types (STs), with ST7 being the most prevalent (17.28%, n = 14). The majority of isolates (85.19%, n = 69) carried at least one enterotoxin gene, with the gene being the most frequently detected (51.85%, n = 42). Additionally, 12 isolates (14.81%) were identified as methicillin-resistant (MRSA) through gene detection. Notably, this study reported the presence of an ST398 MRSA isolate in frozen flour and rice products for the first time. All MRSA isolates displayed multidrug resistance, with the highest resistance observed against cefoxitin (100.00%), followed by penicillin (91.67%) and erythromycin (66.67%). Genomic analysis of the 12 MRSA isolates revealed the presence of twenty distinct acquired antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), eight chromosomal point mutations, and twenty-four unique virulence genes. Comparative genome analysis indicated close genetic relationships between these MRSA isolates and previously reported MRSA isolates from clinical infections, highlighting the potential transmission of MRSA through the food chain and its implications for public health. Significantly, the identification of three plasmids harboring ARGs, insertion sequences (ISs), the origin of transfer site (), and the relaxase gene suggested the potential for horizontal transfer of ARGs via conjugative plasmids in . In conclusion, this study revealed significant contamination of retail frozen flour and rice products with , and provided essential data for ensuring food safety and protecting public health.

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