Public Health Implications of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Associated with Suya Spices in Nigeria

The emergence and re-emergence of antibiotic-resistant foodborne bacteria call for concerted efforts, especially in developing countries. Spices have been employed traditionally to improve the aroma and flavour of foods; however, they could  serve as reservoirs for the spread of potential pathogenic organisms. This study aims to investigate the public health implications of antibiotic-resistant bacteria associated with suya spices.

Three hundred samples of suya spices were evaluated for bacteriological quality. The isolates were presumptively identified by standard biochemical tests and confirmed by API 20 E and API 20 NE. The Etest was used for determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the drugs, while the antibiotic resistance profile  of the isolates was evaluated using the Kirby Bauer methods.

The mean total plate count (TPC) ranged from 1.0 x 103 to 1.6 x 103 CFU/g. The TPCs of control samples showed significant differences in various zones (P < 0.05). One hundred and thirty-three bacterial isolates were obtained from suya spices. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (25.56%) had the highest frequency and Klebsiella planticola (3.01%) the lowest. The MIC of antibiotics ranged from 0.02 mg/l to > 256. The percentage of isolates resistant to the antibiotics ranged from 3.01% to 87.97% as exhibited by imipenem and teicoplanin, respectively.

This study revealed a high bacterial load and the presence of potential pathogens in suya spices. This depicts that suya spices, when added to suya meat, are one of the sources of microbial contamination.