PREVALENCE OF EXTENDED SPECTRUM β-LACTAMASE-PRODUCING Klebsiella STRAINS IN COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE DAIRY PRODUCTS

Abstract

Implementing intensive hygienic practices is essential in the dairy industry because it can be contaminated with numerous pathogens. Klebsiella is one of the major pathogenic bacteria responsible for contaminating dairy products. Nowadays, Klebsiella is emerging as a serious human pathogen causing community-acquired infections with an increasing incidence of multidrug resistance. The enzyme called beta-lactamase in Klebsiella is responsible for its antibiotic resistance. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL)-producing Klebsiella strains in commercially available dairy products. The study was carried out with the following steps: isolation and identification of Klebsiella strains, performing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect Klebsiella using genus-specific primer, and conducting the antibiotic sensitivity test by double disk synergy test to confirm the ESBL-producing strains. In this study, 124 dairy products including yoghurt, curd, paneer, ice cream, drinking yoghurt and other frozen desserts were collected, with 56 samples from small-scale manufacturers and 68 samples from large-scale manufacturers. Among those 124 samples, 35 Klebsiella isolates were identified based on their morphological and biochemical characteristics and all the contaminated samples belonged to small-scale manufacturers. Those 35 isolates were subjected to PCR detection and 23 isolates were confirmed as Klebsiella genotypically. Amongst, 03 isolates were confirmed as beta-lactamase producers through the keyhole phenomenon of the double disk synergy test. Further, it was noted that all the confirmed Klebsiella strains were isolated from the samples belonging to small-scale dairy product manufacturers constituting 62.5% of the total. The detection of antibiotic-resistant strains in dairy products indicates a significant public health risk posed by inadequate hygiene in small-scale production. This emphasizes the necessity of improving hygienic measures to ensure food safety in small-scale dairy production.