In this study, Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from food samples, either in raw or cooked form, including some bakery items, meat, fruits, vegetables, and sweets. This study aimed to obtain multidrug (MDR) and extremely drug-resistant (XDR) bacteria that have a high potential for biofilm formation and confer appreciable resistance to heavy metals, as foodborne microbes are becoming a menace even in the modern medicine era. In the current study, different raw and cooked food samples were evaluated for the prevalence of Enterobacteriaceae. A total of 40 food samples were used, and 33 bacterial isolates were assessed for their antimicrobial resistance potential, from which 7 isolates were later selected to determine their metal resistance and biofilm production profile. Out of 7 selected bacteria, 4 were XDR and 3 were categorized as MDR. All bacterial isolates were resistant to colistin, amikacin, gentamicin, cefexime, tetracycline, and sulphonamides. Among carbapenems, 50% of the isolates were resistant to meropenem, and 16% of the isolates were resistant to imipenem. The potential XDR bacteria were isolated from meat and milk, and fish and capsicum were also found as the main reservoirs of MDR bacteria. Ceftazidime-avibactam was found as a remarkable antibiotic, as all of the bacteria were sensitive to it. Nearly 80% of the isolates were sensitive to imipenem and levofloxacin. It was seen that those isolates that had high resistance against antibiotics had high minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Similarly, biofilm formation capacity also contributes greatly to developing mechanisms to resist antimicrobial drug penetration through the cell membrane. So, the majority of bacteria were biofilm producers and XDRs. Combined with it, the heavy metal resistance and biofilm-producing potential make the situation more challenging. There is a dire need to combat MDR and XDR pathogens to make the treatment of infectious diseases a complete reality and to call modern medicine an unchallengeable weapon.
Research Article · Volume 1, Issue 1, 22 June 2026 · Open Access
Prevalence of MDR and XDR in Clinically Relevant Enterobacteriaceae from Local Food Samples
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Affiliations & Notes ⌄
- 1Institute of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab, Quaid-I-Azam Campus, Lahore 54590, Pakistan 2Institute of Zoology, Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan , *Corresponding author: rehman.mmg@pu.edu.pk
Article Info ⌄
- Journal:
- BIOMEDICUS: Journal of Biological and Biomedical Frontiers
- Published:
- 22 June 2026

Abstract
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