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.

本研究从阿拉伯联合酋长国（UAE）三座主要城市中共采集343份沙拉样本，采用标准培养法检测葡萄球菌属（Staphylococcus spp.）的存在，并通过基质辅助激光解吸电离飞行时间质谱（matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry）技术完成菌种水平鉴定。抗菌药物敏感性试验采用搭载AST-P592检测卡的VITEK-2系统开展。此外，选取10株分离株进行全基因组测序（WGS），以检测其抗菌药物耐药决定因子及毒素相关因子。