Isolation and Identification Enterobacter asburiae from Consumed Powdered Infant Formula Milk (PIF) in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

• Published in: Acta medica Iranica Vol. 54; no. 1; pp. 39 - 43
• Main Authors: Mardaneh, Jalal, Soltan Dallal, Mohammad Mehdi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Iran Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2016
• Subjects: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; E. asburiae; Enterobacter - isolation & purification; Food Microbiology; Humans; Infant; Infant Formula - microbiology; Infant, Newborn; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; Milk - microbiology; Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); Powdered infant formula milk (PIF); Powdered infant formula milk (PIF); Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); E. asburiae
• ISSN: 0044-6025; 1735-9694

Enterobacter asburiae (E. asburiae) is a facultative anaerobic, non-spore-forming gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium belonging to the family of Enterobacteriaceae. It is an opportunistic pathogen that its strains are isolated from a variety of clinical and environmental specimens. Since powdered infant formula milk (PIF) is not a sterile product, it is an excellent medium for bacterial growth. The aim of this study was to isolate and identify E. asburiae from PIF in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and determine antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of this bacterium. A total 125 PIF samples were purchased from drug stores between June 2011 to March 2012. E. asburiae was isolated according to FDA method. For final confirmation, biochemical tests embedded in the API-20E system were used. The drug susceptibility test was performed using the disc diffusion method according to CLSI recommendations. Out of the 125 PIF samples investigated, 2 (1.6%) samples were positive for E. asburiae. All isolated strains were uniformly susceptible to aztreonam, cefotaxim, amikacin, streptomycin, nalidixic acid, meropenem, tetracycline, ceftazidime, and colistin. Variable susceptibility was seen to the some antimicrobial agents tested. Each country should categorize its own designed guidelines for the preparation and handling of PIF adapted to the local environment. Moreover, the pathogenesis of the E. asburiae in infants hospitalized in NICU and other groups such as immunosuppressed patients and HIV infected individuals is uncertain and requires further study.