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Abstract
Fresh produce can be easily contaminated by bacterial pathogens including antibiotic resistant strains. In this study, I investigated the potential contamination of imported produce with colistin resistant bacteria. Colistin is a last resort antibiotic that is reserved to treat complicated infections. Forty imported produce samples were collected from major retail stores in Georgia. . Colistin resistant bacteria (n = 89) were isolated on a selective agar medium that was supplemented with colistin. and identified. Serratia spp., Providencia spp. and Enterobacter spp. were the main species detected using MALDI-TOF analysis. Furthermore, the mobile colistin resistance gene (mcr-1) was detected in 7 isolates. The 7 isolates were also multidrug-resistant (MDR); exhibiting resistance to 3 or more classes of antibiotics. The results in this study emphasized the importance of antibiotic stewardship and routine monitoring programs in order to control the spread of antibiotic resistance through the global food supply chain.