Isolation, Characterization, and Antimicrobial Sensitivity of Enterobacter aerogenes in Locally Produced Cheese from Diyala Province

Abstract

Back ground: Food safety has continued to receive significant attention from consumers, food manufacturers,
and producers. Foodborne illness results from eating contaminated food.
Aims: to determine the frequency of contamination with Enterobacter aerogenes in locally produce
cheese in Diyala province
Methods: sixty cheese samples were randomly collected from Diyala province. All samples were cultured
to isolate fermented bacteria on MacConkey agar plates. Presumptive isolates were then subcultured on
XLD agar and identified biochemically using tests for urease, motility, oxidase, indole production, citrate
utilization and catalase. Identities were confirmed with the Vitek system to definitively identify isolates and
verify biochemical properties. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was then conducted on confirmed isolates
using antibiotic disks to determine susceptibility profiles.
Results: A total of 6/60,( 10%) was positive isolation rate for E. aerogenes from soft cheese samples .The
higher rate of contamination was in AL-Khalis region , (2/15%13.33% followed by Buhriz and Khan Bani
Saad ,(1/10,10%).while the lowest contaminated samples were from Al-Muqdadiyah(2/25,8%. Isolates exhibited
the highest susceptibility to Gentamicin (21.6 mm zone) and Amikacin (19.6 mm zone), while all
isolates were resistant to Methicillin, Clindamycin, Vancomycin, and Rifampicin.