Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus, its antimicrobial resistance and relation to food hygiene practices of food handlers: analysis of food and non-food items from market food shops in Yangon, Myanmar

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is the common cause of food poisoning and its rising antibiotic resistance poses a severe threat to public health. In Myanmar, S aureus isolation and AMR pattern in food and non-food objects studied at the markets are still limited. This research filled the information gaps regarding the prevalence of S aureus in food and non-food items from market food shops relation to hygienic practices of the food handlers and assessed its antimicrobial resistance. Methods: Cross-sectional study was conducted at sixteen markets in Yangon during 2022. The study included 75 food handlers to assess their hygiene practices. From each shop, one food and one non-food samples were taken to reach the total 150 samples. Chi-square test was used for analysis. Results: S aureus was found in 4% of food samples and 5.3% of non-food samples. Bacterial contamination in food was satisfactory, 17.3% to unsatifactory, 60% while non-food samples were 4%, clean to 73.3%, very contaminted. Drug resistance to benzyl penicillin, azithromycin, erythromycin, clindamycin, lincomycin in food samples and tetracycline in both samples were found. Hygiene practices was good among 57.3% of food handlers and there was no association between practices and S aureus prevalence although positivity was higher among the samples taken from the shops of handlers with poor hygiene practices. Conclusions: The prevalence of S aureus was not different between food and non-food samples and not associated with the hygiene practices of food handlers.