Antibiotic Resistant E. coli in Chicken

Abstract

To understand the quality of grocery store bought chicken, this research determined if chicken samples from four commonly purchased brands were contaminated with antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli). Chicken was placed into enrichment culture, samples were inoculated on plates with antibiotics and growth was measured. Results revealed that Gold’n Plump (antibiotic free) chicken had the least amount of antibiotic resistant bacteria followed by Whole Foods (antibiotic free), and Cub and Market Pantry (both conventionally raised) had the largest. Additionally, most chicken contained ampicillin resistant bacteria and gentamicin sensitive bacteria. A Kirby-Bauer assay was then performed, followed by the use of matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization and time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) technology. The Kirby-Bauer assay revealed that Market Pantry had bacteria resistant to the highest average number of drug classes. The MALDI-TOF MS reported that the majority of the bacteria in the chicken was E. coli. Given the results, it can be concluded that Market Pantry contained the highest amount of antibiotic resistant E. coli, and Whole Foods and Gold’n Plump contained the least.