Screening for virulent and antibiotic resistant <i>Escherichia coli</i> in raw and ready-to-eat snails (<i>Arachatina marginata</i>) vended in selected markets in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

This aim of this study was to screen for virulent and antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli in raw and ready-to-eat snails (Archachatina marginata) vended in selected markets within Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Proximate composition, isolation, identification and presence of virulent genes were done using standard methods. Raw snails from Choba market had Escherichia coli count ranging from 1.8x10⁴ to 8.2x10⁵ CFU/g, while the ready-to-eat samples were not contaminated with E. coli. Raw snails from Rumuokoro market had Escherichia counts ranging from 4.2 x10⁴ to 6.9 x10⁶ CFU/g while two of the ready-to-eat samples had counts of 3.602 x 10³ CFU/g and 3.556 x 10³ CFU/g. Raw snails from Oyigbo market had Escherichia counts ranging from 4.653 x 10³ CFU/g to 5.579 x 10³ CFU/g while one ready-to-eat sample had Escherichia. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that 100% of Escherichia were resistant to cefuroxime, augmentin, cefixime and ceftazidime. Of the three-virulence genes (eae, ast and aggR) screened for in this study only aggR was detected in one Escherichia isolate. Proper blanching and heating should be employed during preparations of snails to curtail food poisoning.