摘要：Foods are essential vehicles in human exposure to antibiotic resistant bacteria which serve as reservoirs for resistance genes and a rising food safety concern. Antimicrobial resistance, including multidrug resistance (MDR), is an increasing problem globally and poses a serious concern to human health. This study was designed to synthesize data regarding the prevalence of MDR bacteria associated with foods and drinks sold within Nigeria in order to contribute to the existing findings in this area. A comprehensive literature search on the prevalence of multi-drug resistant bacteria associated with foods and drinks in Nigeria from 2015 to 2020 was conducted using three databases; PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus. After screening and selection, 26 out of 82 articles were used for the qualitative data synthesis. Of the total of one thousand three hundred and twenty-six MDR bacteria reportedly isolated in all twenty-six articles, the highest prevalence (660) was observed in drinks, including water, while the lowest (20) was observed in the article which combined results for both protein and vegetable-based foods.
Escherichia sp. had the most frequency of occurrence, appearing as MDR bacteria in ten out of the twenty-six articles.
Salmonella sp. appeared as MDR in seven out of the twenty-six articles included in this study, in all seven articles where it was reported, it had the highest percentage (85.4%) prevalence as MDR bacteria. Public health personnel need to ensure critical control during the production and handling of foods and drinks, as well as create more awareness on proper hygienic practices to combat the spread of MDR bacteria becoming a growing food safety issue (Zurfluh
et al., 2019; Mesbah
et al., 2017; Campos
et al., 2019). Foods can be contaminated by different means, including exposure to irrigation water, manure, feces or soil with pathogenic bacteria. Foods can also become contaminated as they are harvested, handled after harvest or during processing if food safety standards are not correctly applied (Meshbah
et al., 2017). Food-borne diseases caused by resistant organisms are one of the most important public health problems as they contribute to the risk of development of antibiotic resistance in the food production chain (Hehempour-Baltork
et al., 2019). Apart from pathogenic bacteria causing foodborne diseases, foods that are raw or not processed following standard procedures can introduce several antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) to consumers (Gekemidis
et al., 2018). Antibiotic resistance, though harbored in non-pathogenic bacteria, can potentially be spread through horizontal gene transfer to other species including opportunistic pathogens that are present in the environment or after consumption of ARB-contaminated foods. When ARB-contaminated foods are consumed, the spread of antibiotic resistant genes may affect the gut microbiome thereby contributing to the pool of antibiotic-resistance genes (ARG) in the human gut (Gekemidis
et al, 2018). MDR bacteria have been defined as bacteria that are resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent present in three or more antimicrobial classes (Sweeny
et al., 2018). There has been an increase in drug resistance in pathogens isolated from food for human consumption with species of
Escherichia coli and
Salmonella enterica being considered among the most important pathogens due to their ability to effect zoonotic transfer of resistant genes (Canton
et al., 2018; Maneilla-Becerra
et al., 2019). However, other pathogens, such as
Vibrio spp., some species of
Aeromonas, spores of
Clostridium botulinum type F, and
Campylobacter, have been linked to food-borne diseases in humans who have consumed seafood or other animal foods (Maneilla-Becerra
et al., 2019). Some other resistant bacteria associated with foods include
Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria spp
., and Shigella spp. (Maneilla-Becerra
et al., 2019)
This study was therefore designed to synthesize data (2015-2020) regarding the prevalence of MDR bacteria associated with foods and drinks sold within Nigeria in order to contribute to the existing findings in this area.
