Molecular Detection of Biofilm Production among Multidrug Resistant Isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Meat Samples

Multidrug resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a prominent bacterial pathogen conferring resistance to variety of antimicrobial agents. The ability to form biofilms further enhances the drug resistance phenomena of P. aeruginosa. The emergence of biofilm forming MDR strains of P. aeruginosa in meat and food products is a serious public health concern. In present study, total 100 meat samples were collected (50 each from chicken and mutton) from different butcher shops and supermarkets and P. aeruginosa was isolated by standard microbiological, biochemical and molecular techniques. The resistance profile against various antibiotics was detected by Kirby Bauer method while the biofilm production was observed by microtiter plate assay. The biofilm associated gene (pslA) and extended spectrum beta lactamase (ESBL) genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The study outcome revealed that P. aeruginosa was isolated from 24% meat samples comprising 14/50 (28%) from chicken and 10/50 (20%) from mutton samples. The highest resistance (100%) was observed against Amoxicillin-Clavulanic acid and Ceftriaxone followed by (95.83%) for Aztreonam, Ticracillin and (91.67%) to ciprofloxacin. Out of 24 isolated P. aeruginosa, 22 (91.66%) were detected as MDR. Furthermore, among the 22 MDR isolates, 19 (86.36%) were found biofilm producing P. aeruginosa and all of them detected positive for biofilm encoding gene (pslA). In addition, 9 (40.90%) MDR isolates showed presence of ESBL genes including 6 blaCTX-M and 03 blaTEM while none of the isolates was found positive for blaNDM and blaOXA genes. This study concludes that antibiotic resistance is more pronounced in biofilm producing P. aeruginosa and presence of these biofilm forming isolates in the food chain is a serious threat to public health.