Commonly Consumed Vegetables as a Potential Source of Multidrug-Resistant and β-Lactamase-Producing Bacteria in Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Recently, antibiotic resistance of bacteria contained in foods such as vegetables has become a public health problem. In Ethiopia, the diversity of bacterial contamination and level of antibiotic resistance in vegetables are poorly understood. Local analysis of vegetable contamination and its contribution to the spread of antibiotic resistance are therefore essential for One Health interventions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the level of bacterial contamination of commonly consumed vegetables and their antimicrobial resistance patterns. METHODS: A cross-sectional research was conducted in Debre Berhan town from February to August 2022. Questionnaires were used to collect data on sociodemographic variables, hygiene practices, and market hygiene. Six carefully selected vegetables (30 each, 180 in total) were purchased at a local market. Bacterial isolation and identification, multidrug-resistant (MDR) screening and confirmation, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) screening and confirmation, and antibiotic susceptibility tests were performed using standard operating procedure. The data were analysed statistically using SPSS software version 25. RESULTS: The contamination rate of vegetables was 119 (66.1%). Of the 176 bacteria isolates, E. coli (26.1%; 46/176), S. aureus (18.8%; 176), S. epidermidis (10.8%; 19/176), Klebsiella spp. (9.1%; 16/179) and Acinetobacter spp. (6.8%; 12/176) were the most frequently detected isolates. Of the 180 samples tested, (66.1%; 119/180) were contaminated with at least one type of bacteria. Lettuce (22.7%; 40/176), spinach (18.6%; 33/176), and cabbage (19.2%; 32/176) were the most contaminated vegetables. Of the 176 bacteria isolates, (64.8%; 114/176) were MDR, and (18.5%; 23/124) isolates were ESBL producers. The kind of vegetables, vendor/seller finger-nail status, medium of display, market type, and not cleaned before to display were all significantly associated with bacterial contamination. CONCLUSION: This study found that commonly consumed vegetables are contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Vegetables were also notable for the incidence of multidrug-resistant, extended β-lactamase-resistant, and methicillin-resistant bacterial isolates. Therefore, we urge local health authorities to develop and implement effective control strategies to reduce vegetable contamination.