Extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase‐producing Enterobacteriaceae from ready‐to‐eat foods: Genetic diversity and antibiotic susceptibility

Ready-to-eat (RTE) foods are widely marketed in China and important components of everyday diet. In this study, a total 2000 RTE food samples were analyzed, 252 (12.60%) which positive for Enterobacteriaceae, 48 identified as containing extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli isolates. Furthermore, the antimicrobial resistance patterns these isolates to 14 agents revealed that most resistant aminoglycosides β-lactam antibiotics. The TEM-type gene was prevalent our (79.17%). (n = 48) classified into three clusters based on ERIC-PCR results. Forty-eight sequence types found without duplicates, revealing genetic variation relatedness among Thus, results demonstrated presence ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae Chinese foods. study provide insights spread antibiotic-resistant strains improve understanding microbial risks.