Can Shopping Carts Act as Potential Source of Drug-Resistant Enteric Bacteria?

Despite the notable increase of shopping centers and supermarkets in Oman during the last recent years, along with the increasing number of reported incidents of inflammation of the stomach and intestines (gastroenteritis), our knowledge about the microbiology of shopping carts in this region and their role as source for transmission of enteric bacteria is still scarce. So, this study was done to examine the bacterial contamination of shopping carts with special emphasis on enteric bacteria in A’Sharqiyah region, Oman. One hundred forty different shopping carts surfaces were sampled randomly from 14 shopping stores located in A’Sharqiyah region, Oman, during the period from November 2018 to August 2019. Samples were cultured to determine heterotrophic plate count. Pure isolates were then obtained and characterized biochemically. The isolates were finally tested for antibiotic resistance. The heterotrophic plate count per shopping cart was found to fall between 3.3×102 and 2.2×106 CFU/cm2 surface area. The detected bacteria belonged to 16 bacterial species (7 enteric bacteria and 9 non-enteric bacteria). All tested enteric bacteria showed resistance against at least 4 antibiotics. Shopping carts were found to contain varying levels of heterotrophic bacteria which included drug-resistant enteric bacteria. These variations are more likely due to the low hygienic level, the type of food items placed in the tested shopping carts, the frequency of use and the growth conditions. Data indicates that shopping carts may act as source for drug-resistant enteric bacteria and may act as a medium for transmitting heterotrophic bacteria between shoppers