Presence of Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens in School Cafeteria’s Fast Foods in Dhaka City, Bangladesh: A Growing Concern

Burden, due to foodborne diseases, particularly Salmonella infection, is high in developing countries like Bangladesh. This research aimed at the molecular characterization of Salmonella spp., isolated from selected school canteen’s fast foods in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, and to evaluate the antibiotic resistance patterns of isolated foodborne pathogens. The school cafeterias were selected by the convenience sampling method. The samples were collected aseptically, and serial dilutions were made. The bacterial colonies were isolated by spread plate technique using appropriate media, and bacterial identification was carried out using gram staining and biochemical tests such as MIU, KIA, Oxidase, and Catalase test. The strain of Salmonella spp. was confirmed by molecular characterization employing the 16S rRNA gene sequencing method. The susceptibility of the isolates to various antibiotics was observed by modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Most of the samples were found to contain an unacceptable level of a total aerobic count, which ranged from 5.6×105 to 6.1×107 and 3.4×104 to 7.2×107 for burger and sandwich samples, respectively. Significant isolates from the pathogenic strains were Salmonella spp., Shigella, Klebsiella, Proteus, E. coli, Vibrio spp., Clostridium spp., Staphylococcus spp., and others. The further molecular characterization of isolated Salmonella spp. suggests the similarity with Salmonella enterica serovar Rissen SeqrSC0091. Most isolates were resistant against Ampicillin (100%), Azithromycin (60.87%), Tetracycline (39.43%), Colistin (32.61%), while were highly sensitive to Gentamycin and Chloramphenicol. The presence of multidrug-resistant foodborne pathogens at this high level in the school cafeteria’s fast foods signifies an increased risk for the children’s health.