Determination of Multiple Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of Enterococcus Species Isolated From Fermented Meat Products CConsumed in Ankara

The aim of this study was to determine the multiple antibiotic resistance profiles of Enterococcus spp. isolated from the fermented meat products consumed in Ankara, Turkey. A total of 134 Enterococcus spp. were isolated and identified from 80 fermented meat samples. The highest prevalence of enterococci in the fermented food samples was found in sucuk (a Turkish fermented sausage) samples (50%), followed by sausage (25.4%), pastirma (a Turkish dry-cured meat product) (18.6%), and salami, respectively. Of a total of 134 Enterococcus isolates, 110 (82.1%) were found to be resistant to one or more of the antibiotics tested. Although the highest resistance rate was seen against rifampicin (73.2%), streptomycin (36.5%) and erythromycin (20.2%), 28 (20.9%) of Enterococcus isolates were resistant to multiple antibiotics. The presence of multiple antibiotic resistant Enterococcus in foods of animal origin raises alarm because of the risk of carrying these bacteria to humans via the food chain.