Prevalence of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Herbal Products

2008 ◽  
Vol 71 (7) ◽  
pp. 1486-1490 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOSEPH C. BROWN ◽  
XIUPING JIANG
Keyword(s):  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Herbal Supplements ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
Bacterial Counts ◽  
Powder Samples ◽  
Bacillus Spp ◽  
Ewingella Americana ◽  
Staphylococcus Spp

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in various herbal products. Twenty-nine herbal supplements (18 traditional and 11 organic products) were purchased from stores and analyzed microbiologically. Total bacterial counts were determined by pour plate and surface spreading on tryptic soy agar (TSA). Antibiotic-resistant bacteria were enumerated on TSA supplemented with ceftriaxone (64 μg/ml) or tetracycline (16 μg/ml). Total bacterial counts ranged from <5 to 2.9 × 105 CFU/g. Ceftriaxone- and tetracycline-resistant bacteria were detected in ground garlic samples at 1.1 × 102 CFU/g and 3.0 × 102 CFU/g, respectively. Traditional and organic onion powder samples contained tetracycline-resistant bacteria at 17 and 28 CFU/g and ceftriaxone-resistant bacteria at 35 and 2.0 × 103 CFU/g, respectively. Other products such as ginger, rosemary, mustard, and goldenseal contained low levels of resistant bacteria. Fifty-two isolates were further evaluated against nine antibiotics, and the prevalence of antibiotic resistance was in the following order: ampicillin, nalidixic acid, trimethoprim, ceftriaxone, and streptomycin. Resistant bacteria were identified as Bacillus spp., Erwinia spp., and Ewingella americana. Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacter cloacae, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia also were isolated. The presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and pathogens in these herbal products suggests that production and use of these products may need further evaluation.

scholarly journals Public Health Risk Assessment of the Door Handles of the Community Pharmacies in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 2649-2654
Author(s):  
Raya Alothaim ◽  
Ahmad Almatroudi ◽  
Monir Uddin Ahmed ◽  
Masood Alam Khan ◽  
Rejo Jacob Joseph ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Resistance Pattern ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
The Public ◽  
Hygienic Measures ◽  
Bacillus Spp ◽  
Staphylococcus Spp

Door handles are being reported to harbor a diverse group of microorganisms, mainly bacteria. Presence of pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the door handles carry risk to the health of the public. For this reason, a study was carried in the Qassim region of Saudi Arabia by isolating bacteria from the pharmacy door handles from four different areas. Total 100 samples were collected by wiping the door handles with a sterile cotton swab soaked in sterile water. Microorganisms were isolated using Blood agar and MacConkey agar and identified following standard microbiological procedure. Siemens MicroScan Walkaway system was used for determination of antibiotic susceptibility pattern. In total, 301 bacteria from 13 bacterial species were isolated and identified. The predominant bacterial species include Staphylococcus spp. 56.48% followed by Bacillus spp. 12.29% and Micrococcus spp. 10.30%. Gram-negative bacteria like Shigella sonnei and Salmonella paratyphiA were also isolated. Being the most predominant species, Antibiotic resistance pattern of 39 Staphylococcus spp. were determined. 38.46% of the Staphylococcus spp. were found to be resistant to Cefoxitin, and 30.76% were beta-lactamase producing. The results also indicated that about one -third of Staphylococcus spp. were methicillin resistant. The door handles of pharmacies in the Qassim region carry risk to the health of the public. Proper hygienic measures are recommended for the public health safety until doors are made automatic and touch-free.

scholarly journals Multiresistant Bacteria Isolated from Intestinal Faeces of Farm Animals in Austria

Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 466
Author(s):  
Herbert Galler ◽  
Josefa Luxner ◽  
Christian Petternel ◽  
Franz F. Reinthaler ◽  
Juliana Habib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Meat Products ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Multidrug Resistant ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria ◽  
Antibiotic Resistant ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Multiresistant Bacteria ◽  
Vancomycin Resistant

In recent years, antibiotic-resistant bacteria with an impact on human health, such as extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-containing Enterobacteriaceae, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE), have become more common in food. This is due to the use of antibiotics in animal husbandry, which leads to the promotion of antibiotic resistance and thus also makes food a source of such resistant bacteria. Most studies dealing with this issue usually focus on the animals or processed food products to examine the antibiotic resistant bacteria. This study investigated the intestine as another main habitat besides the skin for multiresistant bacteria. For this purpose, faeces samples were taken directly from the intestines of swine (n = 71) and broiler (n = 100) during the slaughter process and analysed. All samples were from animals fed in Austria and slaughtered in Austrian slaughterhouses for food production. The samples were examined for the presence of ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, MRSA, MRCoNS and VRE. The resistance genes of the isolated bacteria were detected and sequenced by PCR. Phenotypic ESBL-producing Escherichia coli could be isolated in 10% of broiler casings (10 out of 100) and 43.6% of swine casings (31 out of 71). In line with previous studies, the results of this study showed that CTX-M-1 was the dominant ESBL produced by E. coli from swine (n = 25, 83.3%) and SHV-12 from broilers (n = 13, 81.3%). Overall, the frequency of positive samples with multidrug-resistant bacteria was lower than in most comparable studies focusing on meat products.

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