Abstract
Global spread of antimicrobial resistance among pathogens is alarming for the modern society. The research aimed to study distribution of Escherichia coli in cheeses produced in Kazakhstan and to assess its resistance to antibacterial drugs. There were collected 101 samples of cheeses at retail outlets in different regions of Kazakhstan in 2021-2023, from which 55(54.4%) E. coli strains were isolated using conventional microbiological methods. The strains were phenotypically evaluated for antibiotic resistance, and the resistant isolates were tested for antibiotic resistance genes for the β-lactams group-penicillins (blaTEM, blaSHV, and OXA genes), aminoglycosides (aphA1, aadB), tetracyclines (tetA, tetB), quinolones (qnrA, qepA) and sulphonamides (sul1, sul2, and sul3 genes). Among studied E. coli strains 61% were resistant to at least one of the 21 antibiotics tested and were multi-resistant to the 15 antibacterial drugs. The greatest resistance was to sulfamethoxazole (43.6%), tetracycline (32%), followed by cefoxitin (29%). Isolates showed resistance to gentamicin (18.1%), ofloxacin (12.7%), furadonin (11%), amoxicillin (9.1%), doxycycline (7.2%). A gene encoding resistance to sulfonamides (sul3) was identified in eight E. coli strains. Thus, genotypic antibiotic resistance has been established in E. coli populations contaminating cheeses produced in the central, northern and eastern regions of Kazakhstan.