Characterization of <i>Escherichia coli </i>Strains Isolated from Foods of Animal Origin and the Hands of School Kitchen Operators in the Mono Department of Benin

Antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria has become an issue of major global importance, which has hurt human and veterinary medicine, causing real public health problems. This study aimed to characterize Escherichia coli strains isolated from foods of animal origin sold in schools and the hands of school kitchen operators in the Mono department of Benin. Escherichia coli strains were isolated using Tryptone Bile X-Glucuronide (TBX BAC ISO-16649-2,3) and identified by using 16S rRNA sequencing. Antibiotic resistance was performed using a list of 10 antibiotics selected on 55 Escherichia coli strains. The disk diffusion method was used to perform the antibiogram. The virulence genes stx1 stx2 and eae were then searched using their specific primers on 55 isolates by PCR. This study showed that Escherichia coli isolates were resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (64 82 %). Thus, the phenotype AMP-AMC-CEP was present in most of the predominant multidrug resistance (MDR). Molecular characterization of virulence genes showed the presence of stx1 in 16.4% (n = 9) of the isolates tested. Given that, problems of antibiotic resistance are increasingly being observed in most pathogenic bacteria, including Escherichia coli, it is essential to study the reservoir of germs in the commensal flora with potential transport and to prospect for alternative solutions to prevent the growth of pathogens after contamination of foodstuffs, for effective control of food-borne outbreaks caused by this pathogenic micro-organism.