Antibiotic susceptibility assessment of Escherichia coli isolated from traditional cheeses in Marand, Iran

Background and Aim: Dairy products, especially cheese, are a suitable environment for the growth of pathogenic bacteria that cause disease after being transmitted to humans. Escherichia coli is one of the microbial agents in traditional cheese that causes human disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contamination rate of traditional cheeses with E.coli and to determine their antibiotic resistance pattern in Marand. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 150 cheese samples from different centers of dairy products sales in Marand during the first six months of 2019 and after identification of E.coli strains, susceptibility and resistance to 12 antibiotics were studied using Kirby-Bauer test. Results: Of the 150 samples studied, 60 (80%) were positive for E.coli infection. The results of antibiogram test showed the highest resistance to amoxicillin and amoxicillin / clavulanic acid (100%) and Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (83.3%) and the highest sensitivity to ceftriaxone (66.6%) and ciprofloxacin (36.7%), respectively. Conclusion: Due to the high level of contamination of traditional cheeses in this region with E.coli, their production and distribution should be under the control of their respective experts and it is necessary to inform them about the dangers of their use.