Incidence and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from ready-to-eat meats in the environs of Bolgatanga Municipality of Ghana

Abstract Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major foodborne pathogens in ready-to-eat foods exposed to the environment. This study investigated the microbial load, incidence and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus in ready-to-eat meats in Bolgatanga Municipality, Ghana. A total of 200 swabs of ready-to-eat meats (50 each of grilled chevon, mutton, pork and guinea fowl) were examined. Analyses for microbial load and Staphylococcus aureus were done using a modified method of the USA-FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using the disc diffusion method. The microbial load of the ready-to-eat meats ranged from 4.02 to 4.85 log cfu/cm2 and averagely 34.0% were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. The highest incidence was seen in grilled guinea fowl (46%) and the lowest was found in grilled chevon and pork (24% each). Of the 16 Staphylococcus aureus examined against 9 different antibiotics, 44.44% 5.56% and 50.00% exhibited susceptibility, intermediate resistance and resistance, respectively. Higher resistances were observed for ceftriaxone (81.25%) and teicoplanin (75.00%). Susceptibility was high for sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (87.5%) and gentamicin (81.25%). Resistance to 3 or more different antibiotics occurred for 14 (87.5%) Staphylococcus aureus. Some ready-to-eat meats in the environs of Bolgatanga are contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus which are resistant to antibiotics, posing a health risk to consumers.