Abstract:
Foodborne diseases (FBDs) are a significant public health issue in both developed
and developing countries often resulted in deteriorating clinical outcomes, high morbidity, and
mortality. Currently, Both Societies face a global problem of emerging and re-emerging
foodborne antibiotic-resistant infections and outbreaks.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the contamination of ready-to-eat food (RTF) with
antibiotic-resistant bacteria and major associated factors in the Debre Tabor University student
cafeteria, Northwest, Ethiopia,2020.
Methods: A laboratory-based cross-sectional study was conducted by following standard
microbiological methods to isolate and identify foodborne bacteria from ready-to-eat food. The
disc diffusion method was used to performing the resistance profiles of the foodborne bacteria
that were identified from ready-to-eat food in March 2020. Thirty samples of ready-to-eat-food,
food utensils swab, and hand swab of the food handlers were collected. Besides, work
experience, drug use characteristics, and educational status of the food handler’s data were
collected by using observational checklist and interview questions. The descriptive statistics,
correlation, and linear regressions were used to analyze the data.
Results: Ready-to-eat food of the Debre Tabor University student cafeteria were contaminated
with multiple antibiotics-resistance (MAR) Escherichia coli 43% (95% CI: 41.2%, 46.9%),
Salmonella 36.7% (95% CI: 33.2%, 38.7%), and Shigella 20% (95% CI: 19.2%, 26.9%) with
the overall multidrug resistant (MDR) level of 94.43%, 85% and 89.58% and multiple
antibiotics-resistance (MAR) index of 0.6, 0.6 and 0.8 respectively.
Conclusions and recommendations: Multiple antibiotic-resistant bacterial contamination of
ready-to-eat food was associated with poor personnel hygiene of the food handlers, work
experience of fewer than 5 years of the food handlers, inappropriate drug use characteristics of
the food handlers, lack of food safety training of the food handlers, educational status of less
than or equal to secondary education of the food handlers, and poor sanitary condition of food
utensils.
Preventive measures like the provision of food safety training to food handlers and strict follow
up for implementation of good hygienic practices might improve ready-to-eat food safety.
