Antimicrobial Resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii Isolated from Ready-to-Eat Foods in Saudi Arabia

Acinetobacter baumannii is widely recognized as a problematic pathogen in healthcare settings due to its ability to acquire resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents. However, less attention has been given to its presence outside hospitals. In this cross-sectional, laboratory-based surveillance study, we investigated the occurrence of A. baumannii in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods sold at retail outlets in four cities of the Al-Qassim region, Saudi Arabia, during a single season. A total of 240 RTE food samples were analyzed using culture-based and molecular approaches for species confirmation, and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were determined. A. baumannii was identified in 19 samples (7.9%), spanning several food categories. Most isolates showed resistance to multiple antimicrobial classes, and 16 met the criteria for multidrug resistance (MDR). Among the confirmed isolates, blaOXA-23-like was detected in 16 (84.2%), blaOXA-24/40-like in 2 (10.5%), and blaOXA-58-like in 1 (5.3%). Resistance to fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, and aminoglycosides was common, and OXA-type carbapenemase genes were detected in 16 isolates. These findings indicate that RTE foods can represent non-clinical environments in which MDR A. baumannii may be detected. Including food sources in antimicrobial resistance surveillance may therefore strengthen our understanding of the ecology of this pathogen within a One Health framework.