Ready-to-eat food contamination with antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the Debre Tabor University student cafeteria

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.