Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Escherichia coli isolated from Ramadan bazaar in Kuching, Sarawak

Abstract

E. coli contamination is not in compliance with food safety international standards. As such, this study assessed the occurrence of E. coli contamination. The study also investigated multiple antibiotic resistance indices among E. coli isolates. A total of 194 food samples from six categories (beverages, sweet cakes, cooked meat/fish, cooked rice, cooked vegetables, and noodles) were analyzed to determine the E. coli count using a standard method. The results showed that 20% of the samples were contaminated with E. coli. Cooked rice showed the highest mean value of 3.785 ± 0.000 Log CFU/g. While noodles (2.344 ± 0.791 Log CFU/g) and beverages (2.002± 0.504 Log CFU/ml) have shown the most unsatisfactory level of E. coli among food categories. The multiple antibiotic resistance index of E. coli isolates in this study ranged from 0.12 to 0.59, and ampicillin showed the most resistance antibiotics. E. coli indicates the lack of good food handlers and hygiene practices, whereby consuming contaminated food may pose a risk of food poisoning.