Abstract:
Antimicrobial resistance is an emerging global problem and particularly in Lebanon and other countries in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region. Of notable concern is the contamination of fresh produce with antibiotic resistant pathogens. Fresh produce can get contaminated via exposure to contaminated water and soils which are prevalent in low-income countries. Additionally, fresh produce are consumed without extensive processing which increases the risk to the public. Data on the contamination of fresh produce are scant in Lebanon Consequently, we aimed to study the prevalence of antibiotic resistant E. coli in pre-harvest produce in Lebanon. Sixty produce samples of different types (parsley, lettuce, radish, cucumber, and green onions) were collected from different regions in Lebanon. Seventy E. coli were isolated in total. Ten E. coli were colistin-resistant carrying the mobile colistin resistance gene (mcr-1) and 7 of these isolates were found to be multi-drug resistant (resistant to 3 or more antibiotics belonging to different classes). The other sixty isolates were all resistant to at least one antibiotic with 52% being multidrug-resistant. These isolates exhibited resistance to ampicillin (37%), amoxicillin + clavulanic acid (92%), cefepime (12%), cefotaxime (25%), cephalexin (58%), cefixime (18%), doripenem (8%), meropenem (15%), imipenem (2%), gentamicin (5%), streptomycin (17%), tetracycline (35%), ciprofloxacin (3%), norfloxacin (3%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (15%), and chloramphenicol (3%). This study underlines the spread of antibiotic resistance in the Lebanese food systems and is the first to detect mcr-1 positive E. coli in pre-harvest produce in Lebanon. Our findings highlight the need for a prompt action to control the spread of resistant bacteria along the food system.
