Studies on Molecular Detection of Acinetobacter species from meat

Abstract

Acinetobacter species are ubiquitous Gram negative; non-lactose fermenting coccobacilli which can be present in the environment, infecting animals, and human causing bacteremia, pneumonia, meningitis, urinary tract infections, and surgical wound infections with little insight into the food related ecology and epidemiology of Acinetobacter. They are also recognized as one of the most important agents causing nosocomial infections as well as multi-resistant biofilm forming bacteria. Acinetobacter species were isolated from 110 samples of different meat sources (50 from chicken meat, 44 from beef, 10 from rabbits and 6 from mutton (sheep meat)) with incidences of 45.5, 40, 9, and 5.5%, respectively. The isolates were examined morphologically, isolated on different bacteriological media, tested biochemically for catalase, oxidase, hemolysis, motility, and H2S production where 100% of the isolates were catalase positive, oxidase negative, non-hemolytic, non-motile, and non-H2S producers. In addition, the antimicrobial resistance of Acinetobacter species was detected by the disk diffusion method using eight antimicrobial agents (sulfamethazole /trimethoprim, doxycycline, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, amikacin, ticarcillin/clavulanic acid). Resistance rates were sulfamethazole /trimethoprim (66.67%), doxycycline (33.33%), ceftriaxone (88.87%), Ceftazidime (66.67%), ciprofloxacin (0%), imipenem (77.78%), amikacin (11.11%), ticarcillin/clavulanic acid (44.44%). Acinetobacter species isolates from chickens were more resistant to doxycycline, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, imipenem, and ticarcillin, but those isolated from beef were resistant t