Georgian traditional soft cheese screening on existence of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli and Coagulase-positive Staphylococci strains in Tbilisi, Georgia
Keywords:
Georgian Cheese, antimicrobial resistance, dairy sector, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Coagulase-positive Staphylococci, food microbiology, food safety.Abstract
The research aims to fill the knowledge gap of antimicrobial resistance spread through the Georgian dairy food chain and support countries’ sustainable development in facing the global threat. Forty-two traditional Georgian soft cheese samples were collected from major organized retail and open markets in the Tbilisi capital of Georgia. All samples were tested on the presence of food pathogens Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Coagulase-positive Staphylococci (CoPS), within limits set by the national regulation (№581:2015 and №301n:2001). Identified bacteria strains were tested on antimicrobial sensitivity for the top eight registered antibiotics used in veterinary. Research showed alerting results, E. coli was detected in 92% of samples and CoPS in 42%. All strains of E. coli and CoPS show multidrug resistance toward different antibiotics.
