Genotyping and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens and Clostridioides difficile in Camel Minced Meat

Abstract

The present study aimed to determine the occurrence, genotypes, and antimicrobial resistance of <i>Clostridium perfringens</i> (<i>C. perfringens</i>) and <i>Clostridioides difficile</i> (<i>C. difficile</i>) in camel minced meat samples collected from small butcher shops and supermarkets in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Saudi Arabia. A total of 100 camel minced meat samples were randomly collected from small butcher's shops (n = 50) and supermarkets (n = 50) in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Saudi Arabia. <i>C. perfringens</i> and <i>C. difficile</i> were isolated and identified using the VITEK-2 compact system and 16S rRNA gene amplification. Genotypes, toxin genes, and antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolates were determined. Moreover, ELISA was used to detect <i>C. perfringens</i> and <i>C. difficile</i> toxins. <i>C. perfringens</i> and <i>C. difficile</i> were isolated from 14% and 4% of the tested minced meat samples, respectively. Out of the 14 <i>C. perfringens</i> isolates, type A (64.3%), type B (7.1%), type C (21.5%), and type D (7.1%) were detected. However, out of the four <i>C. difficile</i> isolates, three (75%) were type A⁺B⁺ and one (25%) was type A^-B⁺. None of the <i>C. perfringens</i> or <i>C. difficile</i> toxins were identified using ELISA. <i>C. perfringens</i> and <i>C. difficile</i> isolates exhibited a high rate of resistance to tetracycline (56% and 75%, respectively). However, all isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanate. Multidrug resistance was observed in three (21.4%) <i>C. perfringens</i> and one (25%) <i>C. difficile</i> isolates. In conclusion, camel minced meat was contaminated with <i>C. perfringens</i> and <i>C. difficile</i>, which present a potential risk of food poisoning. The majority of the isolates were resistant to at least one antimicrobial, and some isolates were multidrug-resistant. Therefore, food safety standards and frequent inspections of abattoirs, small butcher shops, and supermarkets should be enforced.