The contamination of local crumbled Kope cheeses distributed in ‎Urmia-Iran with Brucella species and evaluation of the antibiotic-resistant pattern of isolates

Brucellosis is a momentous zoonotic disease. Unpasteurized milk and milk products are the leading sources of Brucella transmission to humans. The present research was conducted to investigate the contamination of local crumbled Kope cheeses distributed in Urmia city with Brucella species and evaluate the antibiotic-resistance pattern of the isolates. Fifty samples of local cow’s Kope cheese were randomly collected from traditional dairy retailers in different regions of Urmia by sterile conditions in 2022. The samples were cultured in Brucella enrichment broth and then in Brucella selective agar with a supplement. Molecular identification of Brucella spp. was done using specific primers by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing on the isolates was performed by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Among the tested samples, two samples were contaminated with Brucella (4%). One was contaminated with B. abortus bv. 1, 2, and 4 (2%), and the other with B. melitensis (2%). The isolates were sensitive to azithromycin, imipenem, doxycycline, rifampin, and co-trimoxazole antibiotics and were resistant to ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, tetracycline, gentamicin, and ceftriaxone antibiotics. Also, the B. abortus strain was sensitive to ciprofloxacin, but the B. melitensis strain was resistant. The isolates showed multi-drug resistance (MDR) characteristics. From the findings, it can be concluded that Brucella contamination in local Kope cheeses distributed in Urmia city is low; However, due to the high pathogenicity of B. melitensis for humans, it is recommended to screen infected cows, vaccinate sheep and goat herds, and prevent the supply of unpasteurized milk and milk products. It is also recommended to evaluate azithromycin and imipenem antibiotics along with other common antibiotics in brucellosis.