Staphylococcus spp. in Salad Vegetables: Biodiversity, Antimicrobial Resistance, and First Identification of Methicillin-Resistant Strains in the United Arab Emirates

A total of 343 salad items were sampled from three major citites in the UAE and tested for the presence of Staphylococcus spp. using standard culture-based methods, and the species-level dentification was achieved using matrix-sssisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry technique. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was VITEK-2 system utilizing the AST-P592 cards. Aditionally, whole genome sequencing (WGS) of a selection of ten isolates was performed to detect antimicrobial resistance determinants and toxin-related factors.