| Summary, etc |
Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major foodborne pathogens in ready- to-eat (RTE) foods exposed to the environment. This study was carried out to investigate the incidence and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from ready-to-eat game meats sold in various cities in Nigeria. Ready-to-eat- game meats were sampled from various retail outlets and local<br/>markets, followed by isolation of S. aureus using selective media. A total of 22 samples were analyzed for the presence of Staphylococcus aureus. The isolates were examined phenotypically and then screened biochemically to identify all presumptive S. aureus isolates after which antibiotic susceptibility test was performed. The selected isolates were subjected to single and<br/>multidrug susceptibility testing using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. Staphylococcus aureus was detected in the samples of game meats that were screened. The microbial load of presumptive Staphylococcus aureus on selective media ranged from 5.00 to 5.95 log10cfu/mL with the highest recorded in monitor lizard and lowest in antelope sampled from Lagos state. The<br/>isolates displayed resistance for some of the antibiotics tested, with certain isolates also exhibiting resistance to at least three or more antibiotics in multidrug susceptibility testing. In the overall, all isolates were susceptible to Ciprofloxacin and Cefotaxime while 71% and 29% isolates shown complete susceptibility and intermediate resistant to Ceftazidime, respectively. The findings of<br/>this study revealed the potential health hazards stemming from Staphylococcus aureus contamination in ready-to-eat game meats commonly consumed in Nigeria. Implementing measures to prevent contamination and ensuring safety along the game meat supply chain are crucial to safeguard public health hazard in Nigeria. Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus, ready-to-eat game meat, microbial load, antimicrobial resistance |
