Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a serious infection-causing pathogen in humans and animal. In particular, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is considered one of the major life-threatening pathogens due to its rapid resistance to several antibiotics in clinical practice. MRSA strains have recently been isolated in a number of animals utilized in food production processes, and these species are thought to be the important sources of the spread of infection and disease in both humans and animals. The main objective of the current study was to assess the prevalence of drug-resistant S. aureus, particularly vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) and MRSA, by molecular methods. To address this issue, a total of three hundred samples (200 meat samples from cattle and sheep carcasses (100 of each), 50 hand swabs, and 50 stool samples from abattoir workers) were obtained from slaughterhouses in Egypt provinces. In total, 19% S. aureus was isolated by standard culture techniques, and the antibiotic resistance was confirmed genotypically by amplification nucA gen. Characteristic resistance genes were identified by PCR with incidence of 31.5%, 19.3%, 8.7%, and 7% for the mecA, VanA, ermA, and tet L genes, respectively, while the aac6-aph gene was not found in any of the isolates. In this study, the virulence genes responsible for S. aureus’ resistance to antibiotics had the highest potential for infection or disease transmission to animal carcasses, slaughterhouse workers, and meat products.

Chicken intestinal microbiome naturally includes Escherichia coli. However, only a small subset, known as avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC), may be harmful and zoonotic to humans. The study primary goal was to examine E. coli isolates from poultry and humans, serotype them, and find genes that confer resistance to popular antibiotics as well as drug sensitivity. The study tested 160 meat and organ samples from chickens and ducks, along with 40 human stool samples, finding E. coli in 15 % of samples, with the highest rates in human stool (40 %) and lower rates in duck (11.7 %), chicken organs (3.3%) and their meat (12.5 %). Thirty tested E. coli showed high resistance to several antibiotics, especially erythromycin, but were more sensitive to colistin and fosfomycin, with many strains showing resistance to multiple drugs. The isolates were analysed for some antibiotic resistance genes of E. coli. Duck and chicken organ isolates were found to be positive to aadA1, sul1, tetA, and msr-1 genes. Whereas their meat possessed aac(3)Iv, aadA1, sul1, tetA, msr-1 and aac(6)Ib genes. Human isolates carried ereA, aadA1, tetA, sul1, msr-1, and aac(3)Iv genes. In conclusion, the detection of shared antimicrobial resistance genes among E. coli isolates from both poultry and human sources strongly suggests a potential zoonotic transmission pathway. This highlights the substantial public health importance of these findings, indicating that avian E. coli contributes not only to economic losses in poultry production but also to the increasing burden of multidrug-resistant infections in both animal and human populations.