Isolation and Antimicrobial Resistance Profile of Staphylococcus aureus from Meat, Abattoir Workers, Equipment and Water Samples at Abergele International Livestock Development PLC, Mekelle, Northern Ethiopia

Background Raw meat is one of the main sources of food borne infections worldwide. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the key organisms that is prevalent in contaminated meat. The organism has showed different patterns of antimicrobial susceptibility to different antibiotics. This study aimed to isolate and determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in meat, abattoir workers, water, and equipment samples and to evaluate the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the isolates. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to September 2023 at the Abergele International Export Abattoir in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia. Samples were collected, Staphylococcus aureus was isolated and examined for its amicrobial susceptibility via the disk diffusion method. Data was entered into EpiData and analyzed using SPSS 25 for descriptive and inferential statistics. Results In total, 400 samples were collected from the export abattoir, comprising 233 (58.25%) meat swabs, 95 (23.75%) equipment swabs, 24 (6%) slaughter line swabs, 48 (12%) personnel swabs, and 24 (6%) water samples. The overall proportion of Staphylococcus aureus was 29.3%. The isolation rates ranged from 12.5% in water to 83.3% in knife swabs, with 18.5% in meat, 54.1% in personnel, and 37.8% in equipment samples. The organism was more prevalent in cattle slaughterhouses (33.7%, 85/252) than in shoat slaughterhouses (21.6%, 32/145). Higher isolation rates were observed during nonfasting periods (35.2%, 70/199) than during fasting periods (23.4%, 47/201). A significant association (p < 0.05) was found between Staphylococcus aureus isolation and type of sample, slaughterhouse type and the timing of sample collection. Ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim were 100% effective, while penicillin-G had the highest resistance, with 90% of the isolates being resistant. Multidrug resistance occurred mainly to penicillin-G, ampicillin, methicillin, and nalidixic acid. Conclusion The study found that the abattoir was in a significant risk of contamination with spread of multidrug resistant organism. Proper hygiene practices at abattoirs, including personnel, equipment, and water, should be maintained, and antimicrobial susceptibility tests should be conducted regularly to monitor resistance development to the most commonly applied antibiotics.