Virulence Signatures, Integrons, and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Bacterial Strains Recovered from Selected Commercial Dairy Products and Fresh Raw Meat

Bacterial species responsible for food infections and intoxication are sometimes carried through the food production and processing. Very few published literatures exist on integrons among antibiotic-resistant staphylococcal strains from foods of animal origin in Gauteng Province, South Africa, hence this study. A total of 720 samples (360 meat and 360 dairies) from a community abattoir of a research farm in South Africa, using conventional bacteriological and molecular methods. Nine (9) bacterial strains, including Bacillus subtilis AYO-123, Acinetobacter baumannii AYO-241, Staphylococcus lentus AYO-352, among others were identified and submitted to GenBank. More bacterial strains were recovered from raw meat (90.5%) than dairy products (9.5%). Resistance was shown (0-100%) to Imipenem, Meropenem, Norfloxacin, Clindamycin, and 22 other antibiotics, without any carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii and methicillin/vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus species (MRSS/VRSS). Virulence genes for fibronectin-binding protein A (FnbA) were predominant (56.24%) followed by the circulating nucleic acids (cna) gene (43.75%). Others were staphylococcal enterotoxin A (sea, 41%), staphylococcal enterotoxin B (seb, 23.5%). Co-presence of sea and seb genes occurred in 11.76% of the isolates, but no coa genes was amplified. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), tetK (70.58%), linA (29.4%), and ermA (11.76%) were detected, but none of the mecA and vat genes was amplified. Class 2 integron (50%) was more predominantly detected than integron 1 (25%), but no Class 3 integron was detected. Bacteria with both the detected virulence and antibiotic resistance genes are of potential risks to human health.