Detection of Antibiotic Resistant Listeria spp. in Beef Burgers Distributed in Ahvaz City, Iran

Background: Listeria spp. are able to be survive in many foods during frozen storage. One particular species, Listeria monocytogenes, is one of the most important food-borne pathogens globally. The antimicrobial resistance of pathogenic microorganisms is a worldwide public health concern because of increasing global trade and travel. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence and antibiotic resistance of Listeria spp. in the Iranian beef burgers distributed in Ahvaz city. Materials and Methods: During a five-month period, 150 frozen burgers were purchased from local markets in Ahvaz city, and tested for presence of Listeria spp. The experimental procedure consisted of a one-step enrichment in Listeria enrichment broth, followed by plating on Oxford agar. Suspected colonies were subjected to subsequent biochemical tests and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The susceptibility of the isolates to various antibiotics was investigated using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method, and the results were analyzed via the chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test using SPSS 16.0 software. Results: Out of 150 samples, only two were contaminated with Listeria innocua, and the statistical analysis showed no significant differences in the prevalence of Listeria between companies (P > 0.05). One of the isolates was resistant to tetracycline and the other to co-trimoxazole. Both of the isolates showed an intermediate susceptibility to chloramphenicol; however, they were sensitive to the other tested antibiotics. Conclusions: L. innocua is not a pathogen, but the presence of the bacterium could be an indicator of probable contamination with L. monocytogenes. Moreover, there is a potential risk to public health from the consumption of raw or undercooked burgers, which may increase the possibility of the acquisition of resistance to antibiotics.