The use of antibiotics in food animals results to antimicrobial resistant bacteria that complicates the ability to treat infections. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of pathogenic and commensal bacteria in soil, water, manure, and milk from cattle and goat farms. A total of 285 environmental and 81 milk samples were analyzed for Enterobacteriaceae by using biochemical and PCR techniques. Susceptibility to antibiotics was determined by the Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion technique. A total of 15 different Enterobacteriaceae species were identified from goat and cattle farms. Manure had significantly higher (p < 0.05) Enterobacteriaceae (52.0%) than soil (37.2%), trough water (5.4%), and runoff water (5.4%). There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in Enterobacteriaceae in goat milk (53.9%) and cow milk (46.2%). Enterobacteriaceae from environment showed 100% resistance to novobiocin, erythromycin, and vancomycin E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Enterococcus spp., and Listeria monocytogenes displayed three, five, six, and ten. AMR patterns, respectively. NOV-TET-ERY-VAN was the most common phenotype observed in all isolates. Our study suggest that cattle and goat farms are reservoirs of multidrug-resistant bacteria. Food animal producers should be informed on the prudent use of antimicrobials, good agricultural practices, and biosecurity measures.

The consumption of non-dairy milk is on the rise due to health benefits. Although there is increasing inclination towards milk alternatives (MA), there is limited data on antibiotic resistant bacteria in these substitutes. The aim of this study was to investigate antimicrobial resistance of bacteria isolated from MA. A total of 138 extracts from almonds (n = 63), cashew nuts (n = 36), and soybeans (n = 39) were analyzed for Enterobacteriaceae. The identification of the bacteria was based on biochemical and PCR methods. Antibiotic sensitivity was determined by using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion technique. Overall, 31% (43 of 138) of extracts were positive for Enterobacteriaceae. Ten bacterial species were identified, of which Enterobacter cloacae (42.7%) and Enterobacter cancerogenus (35.4%) were the most predominant species (p < 0.05). Antibiotic resistance was exhibited to vancomycin (88.3%), novobiocin (83.8%), erythromycin (81.1%), which was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in tetracycline (59.5%), cefpodoxime (30.6%), and nalidixic acid (6.3%). There was no resistance displayed to kanamycin and imipenem. ERY-NOV-VAN-TET and ERY-NOV-CEP-VAN-TET were the most common resistant patterns displayed by Enterobacter cloacae. The findings of this study suggest that MAs, though considered healthy, may be a reservoir of multidrug resistant opportunist pathogens.

The production and consumption of organic fresh produce have constantly increased since the 1990s. Consumers prefer organic produce because it does not contain synthetic chemical residues that are often implicated in health problems. The contamination of fresh produce by pathogenic Enterobacteriaceae strains remains a major challenge, and is responsible for frequent foodborne disease outbreaks. The use of antibiotics has proved an effective treatment, but the increase in occurrences of antibiotic resistance is becoming a health challenge. This study seeks to establish the presence of antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae on organic and conventional watermelon fruits. Watermelons used for this study were cultivated at the Tennessee State University Certified Organic Farm, Nashville. At harvest, nine fruits were selected from among fruits lying on plastic mulch, and nine from fruits lying on the soil of both organic and conventional plots. These were placed in sterile sample bags for microbial analysis. Spread plating technique, API 20E, and apiweb software were used for microbial isolation and identification. Identified strains were tested for antimicrobial resistance against 12 common antibiotics. Seventeen Enterobacteriaceae strains were isolated and identified. Isolates were susceptible to gentamycin, ciprofloxacin, and chloramphenicol, but were resistant to cefoxitin. Citrobacter freundii showed a 14.3% resistance to Streptomycin. Pantoea spp. and Providencia rettigeri showed 50% and 100% resistance to tetracycline. Findings from this study confirm the presence of antibiotic-resistant Enterobacteriaceae strains on organic watermelons in Nashville, TN.