Abstract
In Côte d'Ivoire, the popularity of ready-to-eat salads has grown substantially. Despite their convenience, these products often face criticism for their microbiological safety. This research was conducted to assess the virulence and antibiotic resistance profiles of Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella spp., and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) isolated from salads available in hypermarkets across Abidjan. The study utilized a combination of microbiological and molecular biology techniques. Results indicated that E. coli isolates harbored virulence genes such as stx2 (50%) and ST (62.50%), though genes stx1 and LT were absent in the samples tested. In S. aureus, virulence genes detected included sea (55.55%), sec (11.110%), and sed (44.44%). The antibiotic resistance assessment revealed high resistance in E. coli to β-lactam antibiotics, with all isolates resistant to cefuroxime (100%) and the majority to ampicillin and cefoxitin (87.5%). Most Salmonella spp. isolates were sensitive to the antibiotics tested, except for cefoxitin and ampicillin, showing resistance rates of 42.85% and 57.15%, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated considerable resistance, particularly to cefoxitin (44.44%), benzylpenicillin (100%), and ampicillin (55.55%). In addition, resistance to aminoglycosides (55.55% to both kanamycin and gentamicin) and macrolides (66.66% to erythromycin and 55.55% to clindamycin) was noted. Resistance to various fluoroquinolones ranged between 33.33% and 55.55%. The presence of resistance genes such as blaTEM (10.52%), qnrA (2.26%), qnrB (5.26%), qnrS (5.26%), and mecA (13.15%) in E. coli and S. aureus underscores the challenge of multidrug resistance, exhibiting phenotypes such as ESBL (50%), Meti-R (55.55%), KTG (44.44%), MLSB (44.44%), and FQ-R (25%). These results carry significant epidemiological and public health implications, highlighting the urgent need for improved safety regulations and practices regarding ready-to-eat salads in urban food markets.