Assessing the Public Health Implications of Virulent and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Côte d'Ivoire's Ready-to-Eat Salads

In Côte d'Ivoire, the popularity of ready-to-eat salads has grown substantially. Despite their convenience, these products often face criticism for their microbiological safety. This research was conducted to assess the virulence and antibiotic resistance profiles of ( ), ., and ( ) isolated from salads available in hypermarkets across Abidjan. The study utilized a combination of microbiological and molecular biology techniques. Results indicated that isolates harbored virulence genes such as (50%) and (62.50%), though genes and were absent in the samples tested. In , virulence genes detected included (55.55%), (11.110%), and (44.44%). The antibiotic resistance assessment revealed high resistance in to -lactam antibiotics, with all isolates resistant to cefuroxime (100%) and the majority to ampicillin and cefoxitin (87.5%). Most isolates were sensitive to the antibiotics tested, except for cefoxitin and ampicillin, showing resistance rates of 42.85% and 57.15%, respectively. demonstrated considerable resistance, particularly to cefoxitin (44.44%), benzylpenicillin (100%), and ampicillin (55.55%). In addition, resistance to aminoglycosides (55.55% to both kanamycin and gentamicin) and macrolides (66.66% to erythromycin and 55.55% to clindamycin) was noted. Resistance to various fluoroquinolones ranged between 33.33% and 55.55%. The presence of resistance genes such as (10.52%), (2.26%), (5.26%), (5.26%), and (13.15%) in and underscores the challenge of multidrug resistance, exhibiting phenotypes such as ESBL (50%), Meti-R (55.55%), KTG (44.44%), MLSB (44.44%), and FQ-R (25%). These results carry significant epidemiological and public health implications, highlighting the urgent need for improved safety regulations and practices regarding ready-to-eat salads in urban food markets.