Survey of antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas isolated from fresh cut red chicory (Cichorium intybus L., Asteraceae)

Abstract

The present work was carried out to investigate the safety aspects of minimally processed red chicory (Cichorium intybus L., family Asteraceae) regarding the antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas Migula, 1894 populations (Bacteria Pseudomonadaceae). The Pseudomonas strains tested for their characteristics were previously isolated from experimental monovarietal salads prepared with two different processes, a classic ready-to-eat (RTE) process and a process with entire leaves, and stored under refrigeration (4 °C) up to 15 days from production. Due to their dominance over the microbial community, Pseudomonas strains were better characterised for their undesirable features that might be exerted on the health of consumers. To this purpose, the 21 dominant Pseudomonas strains were subjected to the antimicrobial resistance test, applying the antibiotics commonly administered to combat intestinal bacteria responsible for human infections. The results revealed a certain sensibility to almost all the antibiotics diffused among these bacteria, with the exception of ampicillin, amoxicillin, and chloramphenicol. If, on one hand, this study has found that, generally, Pseudomonas are not related to the dissemination of the majority of antibiotics used for hospitalized patients, on the other hand, it poses the attention to this microbial group regarding ampicillin and amoxicillin.