Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important zoonotic pathogen associated with a wide range of infections in humans and animals. Thus, the emergence of MRSA clones poses an important threat to human and animal health. This study is aimed at elucidating the genomics insights of a strong biofilm-producing and multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. aureus MTR_BAU_H1 strain through whole-genome sequencing (WGS). The S. aureus MTR_BAU_H1 strain was isolated from food handlers hand swabs in Bangladesh and phenotypically assessed for antimicrobial susceptibility and biofilm production assays. The isolate was further undergone to high throughput WGS and analysed using different bioinformatics tools to elucidate the genetic diversity, molecular epidemiology, sequence type (ST), antimicrobial resistance, and virulence gene distribution. Phenotypic analyses revealed that the S. aureus MTR_BAU_H1 strain is a strong biofilm-former and carries both antimicrobial resistance (e.g., methicillin resistance; mecA, beta-lactam resistance; blaZ and tetracycline resistance; tetC) and virulence (e.g., sea, tsst, and PVL) genes. The genome of the S. aureus MTR_BAU_H1 belonged to ST1930 that possessed three plasmid replicons (e.g., rep16, rep7c, and rep19), seven prophages, and two clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) arrays of varying sizes. Phylogenetic analysis showed a close evolutionary relationship between the MTR_BAU_H1 genome and other MRSA clones of diverse hosts and demographics. The MTR_BAU_H1 genome harbours 42 antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), 128 virulence genes, and 273 SEED subsystems coding for the metabolism of amino acids, carbohydrates, proteins, cofactors, vitamins, minerals, and lipids. This is the first-ever WGS-based study of a strong biofilm-producing and MDR S. aureus strain isolated from human hand swabs in Bangladesh that unveils new information on the resistomes (ARGs and correlated mechanisms) and virulence potentials that might be linked to staphylococcal pathogenesis in both humans and animals.

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-EC) in seafood represents a significant public health concern. In this study, we screened 102 raw seafood samples, comprising shrimp (n = 42), sea fish (n = 36), and crabs (n = 24), to detect ESBL-EC. E. coli was isolated and identified through culture-based methods, staining procedures, biochemical assays, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. The AMR properties of E. coli isolates were evaluated using the disc diffusion test, while ESBL-EC was identified phenotypically through the double-disc synergy test and confirmed at the genetic level using PCR. PCR analysis revealed that 42.2% (43/102) of the samples were contaminated with E. coli, with sea fish showing the highest (p < 0.05) prevalence (63.9%, 23/36), followed by crabs (37.5%, 9/24) and shrimp (26.2%, 11/42). All the isolates exhibited phenotypic resistance to ampicillin, followed by ceftazidime (95.3%), ciprofloxacin (55.8%), azithromycin (39.5%), cefotaxime (37.2%), and streptomycin (16.3%). Notably, 69.8% (30/43) of E. coli isolates exhibited phenotypically multidrug resistance. Moreover, 18.6% (8/43) of the isolates showed ESBL-producing characteristics, higher in shrimp than in sea fish and crabs. ESBL-related gene, bla_TEM, was detected in 75% (6/8), bla_SHV in 87.5% (7/8), and bla_CTX-M in 50% (4/8) of the ESBL-EC isolates. Regular surveillance of seafood for antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, particularly ESBL-producing strains, is recommended due to their potential public health implications.