Microbiological acceptability of skinless chicken breasts and analysis of antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli associated with Lebanese poultry.

Abstract

The consumption of poultry meat has increasingly become popular worldwide. The poultry industry in Lebanon is considered more developed than other animal farming practices and a source that generates a vital economic profit for the country. Despite its importance, the safety of poultry meat is a major issue in Lebanon, because poultry is associated with a plethora of foodborne bacterial pathogens. Therefore, there is a need to assess the microbiological quality of poultry meat by testing for bacterial indicators such as total coliforms and Escherichia coli, because Lebanese poultry meat is hardly characterized and monitored. In addition, antimicrobial agents are used in poultry farming to control bacterial infections and increase productivity; however, the emergence of antimicrobial-resistance is a major challenge facing public health. Data is lacking regarding antimicrobial resistance in bacteria associated with Lebanese poultry meat. Lebanon will benefit greatly from this study that identifies, quantifies and characterizes bacterial contamination and antimicrobial resistance associated with poultry meat. The overall objective of this national study in Lebanon was the microbiological analysis of post-harvest and pre-harvest poultry. The first objective was to analyze the prevalence and loads of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli, and antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli in Lebanese skinless chicken breast samples. The second objective was to analyze the resistance profiles of Escherichia coli isolated from poultry fecal matter. The third objective was to compare the resistance profiles of E. coli in pre- and post-harvest samples, This study was conducted between February 2017 and July 2018. Post-harvest samples (n=151) and pre-harvest samples (n=183) were collected from major cities in Lebanon. The samples were transported to the laboratory within 24 hours, where analysis was performed on each sample. For the microbiological analysis, 25 grams of each sample were aseptically suspended in 225 ml of bu