Occurrence of extended spectrum beta Lactamase resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (ESBL) in raw white soft cheese and its whey from Baghdad

Carbapenemases producing or Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase Resistant Klebsiellapneumoniae (ESBL/KPC) strains are pro-growing threat. This research focused on isolation and Identification of K.pneumoniae especially ESBL producers from raw white soft cheese and its whey made from Cows raw milk in Baghdad. Study design including collection and processing of ninetysoft cheese and its whey samples (forty five samples for each type: soft cheese & whey) from regions of Abu-Ghraib, Al-Fudhaliyah and Al-Sadrya (thirty samples from each region: fifteen samples for each type) from December (2016) to February (2017), in which they collected and processed according to modified dairy microbiological methodology in veterinary public health laboratory by McConkey agar, Electronic RapID™ ONE (4 hours) biochemical panel micro-tubes strep identification system compendium with reference colors chart and online confirmation microcodes data base software, and gold standard double staining technique, Microtiter Plate Assay for biofilm formation with methylene blue and safranin dyes. Antibiotics Susceptibility Pattern by Kirby-Bauer technique or disk diffusion method was proceed according to instructions of clinical laboratory standards institute (CLSI) or national committee for clinical laboratory standards (NCCLS) by using a Muller-Hinton agar and McFarland opacity tubes for checking resistance profile of isolates. Double diffusion inhibition technique or Oxoid Cefpodoxime Combination Kit determined ESBL resistance activity. Data were analyzed for significant differences by statistical package for social sciences software (IBM SPSS) in which a Chi-square was used. The results showed detection of thirteen strains of phenotypically indole negative K.pneumoniae out of ninety samples (14.44%): ten strains (11.11%) from Abu-Ghraib: nine (10%) from soft cheese and one (1.11%)from its why, two strain (2.22%) from Al-Fudhaliyah and one (1.11%) strain from Al-Sadrya. ESBL producers were noticed only from Abu-Ghraib region, in which they detected from seven (7.77%) samples: six (6.66%) strains from soft cheese and one (1.11%) from its whey. In conclusion, data showed contamination of raw white soft cheese and its whey in Baghdad with K. pneumoniae, in which ESBL producers were noticed, thus we recommend monitoring of soft cheese production cycles, handlers, cheese makers, soft cheese containers, environment, infected & carrier individuals, transportation and storage stages through application of sanitation practices during cheese processing and hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) strategies to overcome or reduce these public health problems.