Abstract
This study aimed to find out the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance profile of
Klebsiella pneumoniae
in raw food items. A total of 261 raw food items, including vegetables, fruits, meat, and milk samples, were collected and processed for isolation of
K. pneumoniae.
Further antimicrobial susceptibility testing and molecular analysis was done to analyze the drug resistance encoding genes. The prevalence rate of
K. pneumoniae
was found to be high (38%), and the raw milk samples were predominantly contaminated (19/51), followed by fruits (12/51), meat (11/51), and vegetables (9/51). However, no significant association was observed for the isolation of
K. pneumoniae
and any particular specimen. Among the isolates, 43% were extended-spectrum β-lactamase producers, 24% were AmpC, and 20% were carbapenemase producers. The highest rates of ESBLs and AmpC were observed in vegetables (cabbage, bell pepper, and spinach) and carbapenemases in raw chicken, fish, and raw meat samples. Notably,
bla
CTX-M
was the most prevalent, followed by
bla
SHV
and
bla
TEM
. Six
K. pneumoniae
possessed
bla
MOX
, and five possessed
bla
FOX
genes. Numerous carbapenemases were identified with a higher proportion of
bla
NDM
. This study indicates that raw vegetables, fruits, meat, and milk are exposed to contaminants. These findings imply a potential threat that drug-resistant
K. pneumoniae
pathogens could transmit to humans through raw vegetables, fruits, and meat.