Examination of Multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae Isolated from Salted Cattle Hides and Sheep Skins

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance profiles in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from salted cattle hides and sheep skin samples were examined in this study. Antibiotic resistance profiles of 27 cattle hide and 28 sheep skin isolates, obtained from five salted cattle hide and five skin samples originating in different countries such as Dubai, Turkey, Israel, Australia, Lebanon, U.S.A. and South Africa, were examined by disc diffussion susceptibility method using 24 different antimicrobial agents. Seventy percent of the salted hide isolates and sixty-eight percent of the salted sheep skin isolates exhibited resistance to three or more of 24 antimicrobial agents used. Less than 50% of the isolates was resistant to tobramycin (13%), cephalothin (16%), tetracycline (16%), amoxycillin-clavulanate (25%), ampicillin-sulbactam (29%), piperacillin-tazobactam (38%), cefoxitin (20%), ceftriaxone (45%), ceftazidime (33%), cefuroxime sodium (45%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (25%), ampicillin (45%), chloramphenicol (35%) and nalidixic acid (42%). Although 71% of isolates exhibited resistance to aztreonam, all isolates were susceptible to norfloxacin. Resistance to amikacin (5%), streptomycin (9%), kanamycin (9%), gentamicin (5%), imipenem (4%), meropenem (2%), ciprofloxacin (5%) and ofloxacin (2%) was not very common among the isolates. Our research results showed that multidrug-resistant Enterobacteriaceae were common on both salted cattle hide and sheep skin samples. Therefore, we suggest effective antibacterial applications during salt curing of hides and skins to eradicate these multidrug-resistant bacteria in the leather industry.