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Copyright (c) 2025 Abdulrahman Almujaidel, Adil Abalkhail, Ayman Elbehiry
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The undersigned hereby assign all rights, included but not limited to copyright, for this manuscript to CMB Association upon its submission for consideration to publication on Cellular and Molecular Biology. The rights assigned include, but are not limited to, the sole and exclusive rights to license, sell, subsequently assign, derive, distribute, display and reproduce this manuscript, in whole or in part, in any format, electronic or otherwise, including those in existence at the time this agreement was signed. The authors hereby warrant that they have not granted or assigned, and shall not grant or assign, the aforementioned rights to any other person, firm, organization, or other entity. All rights are automatically restored to authors if this manuscript is not accepted for publication.Prevalence, characterization, and transmissible factors of foodborne pathogens in the Al-Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia
Corresponding Author(s) : Ayman Elbehiry
Cellular and Molecular Biology,
Vol. 71 No. 8: Issue 8
Abstract
Foodborne illnesses pose a significant public health threat globally, particularly in Saudi Arabia, where the rapid growth of the food service sector has increased the risk of exposure to multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria. Traditional microbiological methods are often time-consuming and may lack precision, highlighting the need for faster and more accurate diagnostic alternatives. In this study, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) was employed for the rapid and precise identification of bacterial contaminants in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods, alongside an assessment of their antibiotic resistance profiles. A total of 80 RTE food samples—including chicken shawarma, shish tawook, chicken burgers, and falafel sandwiches—were collected from restaurants across the Al-Qassim region between September and November 2024. Bacterial identification was performed using standard culturing techniques in combination with MALDI-TOF MS, while antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted using the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method in accordance with CLSI guidelines. The predominant pathogens identified were Escherichia coli (E. coli) (32.5%), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (27.5%), and Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) (18.75%), with the highest contamination observed in chicken shawarma samples. MALDI-TOF MS provided high-confidence species-level identifications, with score ranges between 2.00 and 2.49. E. coli isolates exhibited complete resistance (100%) to ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, cefoxitin, and cephalothin. High resistance rates were also observed for norfloxacin (80.8%) and tetracycline (73.1%). Similar MDR patterns were detected in S. aureus and A. baumannii. Imipenem remained the most effective antibiotic, showing 100% susceptibility among E. coli and S. aureus isolates and 93.3% effectiveness against A. baumannii. These findings underscore the critical need for routine microbial surveillance, implementation of rapid diagnostic tools, and enforcement of stringent food safety regulations to curb the spread of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens through the food supply chain.
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