Short Communication: Enterotoxin Genes and Antibiotic Susceptibility of Bacillus cereus Isolated from Garlic Chives and Agricultural Environment

This study aims to investigate the enterotoxin profiles and antibiotic susceptibility of isolated from garlic chives and environmental samples. A total of 103 isolates were used to identify enterotoxin genes, including , and . The hemolysin BL enterotoxin complex ( ) was detected in 38 isolates (36.9%), and the non-hemolytic enterotoxin complex ( ) was detected in 8 (7.8%) isolates. Forty-five isolates (43.7%) had and genes. was resistant to β-lactam antibiotics and susceptible to non-β-lactam antibiotics. However, some strains showed intermediate resistance to β-lactam and non-β-lactam antibiotics. isolated from garlic chives showed intermediate resistance to cefotaxime (7.7%), rifampin (15.4%), clindamycin (30.8%), erythromycin (7.7%), and tetracycline (7.7%). isolates from the agricultural environment were moderately resistant to cefotaxime (18.9%), rifampin (15.6%), clindamycin (12.2%), erythromycin (4.4%), and tetracycline (5.6%). Moreover, isolates from garlic chives and cultivation environments could change their antibiotic resistance profile from susceptible to intermediate-resistant to rifampin, clindamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline and exhibit multidrug resistance. These results indicate that continuous monitoring of contamination in the produce and agricultural environment might be needed to ensure the safety of consuming fresh vegetables.