Journal of Bioscience and Biotechnology Discovery

Fresh fruit and vegetables are essential components of a healthy and balanced diet; their consumption is encouraged by different organisations (WHO, FAO, USDA, EFSA) and nutrition experts to protect against a range of diseases.  Fresh-cut fruits are eaten without any further sterilisation, which means that all microorganisms loaded on the produce will gain entry to the human body. It is the reason why pathogen contamination is of particular concern to consumers. Factually, foodborne illness caused by pathogens is not the only problem; antibiotic resistance carried by pathogenic/ nonpathogenic bacteria is also a severe problem.  Hence, this study aims to microbiologically assess the safety of some commonly consumed fruits, namely watermelon, carrot, apple and tomato and to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated organisms. Isolation of pathogenic microorganisms was carried out using the standard isolation methods, after which the isolates were characterised molecularly. Antibiotic resistance of the isolates was tested against some readily used antibiotics. The result revealed the presence of pathogenic organisms, namely Klebsiella variicola (CP050958.1), Enterobacter hormaechei (CP109738.1), Klebsiella pneumonia (CP030320.1) and Enterobacter bugandensis (MN208217.1) and all test isolates were found resistant to the selected antibiotics. The occurrence and resistance of these microorganisms to antibiotics could pose serious health impacts, including potential long-term disability, and economic consequences such as medical costs, loss of productivity. Vulnerable groups, such as young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems, will be at risk for severe outcomes.