A Molecular Investigation of Carbapenem Resistant Enterobacteriaceae

The success of antibiotic treatment has been negatively affected due to developing and spreading antimicrobial resistance all over the world. The present study was carried out to reveal the presence of carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae and blaKPC, blaNDM and blaOXA-48 genes responsible for carbapenem resistance in raw milk and to contribute to transmission dynamics and molecular epidemiology of carbapenem resistance, as well as the potential public health risks of milk. In Turkey, there is not sufficient data on the presence and the potential risks posed by carbapenem resistance in animal origin foods. A total of different 427 raw milk samples were collected and subjected to phenotypic microbiological analysis and conventional and Sybergreen real-time PCR targeting blaKPC, blaNDM and blaOXA-48 genes. In the phenotypic analyses, suspicious isolates were identified by Vitek-2 compact system and antibiotic resistance profiles were revealed. Two Stenotrophomonas maltophilia inherently resistant to carbapenems were detected in raw milk samples. Acquired carbapenem resistance and related genes were not found in any of the milk samples. The present study revealed that milk is not epidemiologically involved in the transmission of carbapenem resistance. In order to prevent the environmental distribution of antibiotic resistant microorganisms, control of antibiotics used in human and veterinary medicine should be maintained.