Occurrence and Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli in Street-Vended Kebab in Dramaga, Bogor, Indonesia

Background: Kebab is one of the popular ready-to-eat foods in Indonesia and sold as a street food. The purpose of this study was to determine occurrence and antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli in street-vended kebab in Dramaga, Bogor, Indonesia. Methods: Totally, 43 samples of kebab meat were collected from street food kebab vendors. Examinations on Total Plate Count (TPC), and total E. coli using Most Probable Number (MPN) method were referred to the Indonesia National Standard. The antibiotic resistance test was carried out using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Results: The mean of TPC in kebab samples was 5.3 log10 Colony Forming Unit (CFU)/g. Based on TPC, 13 out of 43 (30.2%) of kebab samples did not comply with the Indonesia National Standard with maximum acceptable level of 5 log10 CFU/g. E. coli was identified in 5 out of 43 samples (11.6%) with mean of 39.2 MPN/g ranged from 7.4 to 150 MPN/g which were higher than standard level (0.5 log10 CFU/g). Four out of 5 E. coli isolated from kebab samples were resistant to gentamycin. All E. coli isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin/clavulanate and chloramphenicol. Conclusion: The occurrence of antibiotic resistant E. coli in ready-to-eat kebab in this area of Indonesia could cause the health problem in consumers. The local government should conduct the monitoring and surveillance on the occurrence of pathogens and the antibiotic resistance in food chain.  DOI: 10.18502/jfqhc.7.4.4845