Abstract

Background:
Camel's meat is a nutrient dense and curative food. It is abundant in animal-derived proteins, vital amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. However, this type of meat source is susceptible to contamination with foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella spp. and Staphylococcus aureus.

Aim:
This study aimed to determine the prevalence of S. aureus and Salmonella spp. in camel meat and offal. Additionally, staphylococcal enterotoxins and virulence associated genes were screened in the recovered isolates. The antibiograms of the obtained isolates were further examined.

Methods:
Camel meat and offal, including the liver and kidney, were collected. The isolation and identification of S. aureus and Salmonella spp. were conducted using standard methods. The detection of virulence-associated genes was performed using PCR. Antimicrobial resistance was screened using the disk diffusion method.

Results:
The overall prevalence rates of S. aureus in the examined muscle, liver, and kidney were 73.33%, 90%, and 100%, respectively. Only 10 of the 79 isolated S. aureus strains were enterotoxigenic (12.7%) carrying SEB, SEA+SEC, and SEA enterotoxins. The recovered S. aureus isolates showed marked antimicrobial resistance against kanamycin (100%), ampicillin (96.2%), and tetracycline (84.6%). The overall prevalence of Salmonella spp. in the current study was 27.8% (25 of 90 examined samples). The serological identification of Salmonella isolates identified S. Typhimurium, S. Enteritidis, S. Takoradi, S. Rissen, S. Anatum and S. Tsevie were detected at 3(3.3%), 10(11.1%), 2(2.2%), 3(3.3%), 4(4.4%) and 3(3.3%), respectively. Salmonella isolates in the current study were resistant to nalidixic acid (100%), oxacillin and tetracycline (87.5%). The isolated strains harbored virulence genes such as invA, stn, spvC and hilA genes.

Conclusion:
Camel's meat and offal can provide a risk of food poisoning due to the presence of bacteria, including Salmonella spp. and S. aureus. Consequently, camel meat must be processed with the utmost cleanliness.

Key words: Camel meat; Offal; S. aureus; Salmonella spp.; Antimicrobial resistance.