Volume: 57 Issue: 2
Year: 2026, Page: 263-270, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.2.263-270
Received: Jan. 2, 2026 Accepted: Feb. 26, 2026 Published: June 30, 2026
This study investigated extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli (E. coli) in ready to-eat (RTE) chicken shawarma, chicken sandwiches and mayonnaise retailed in Thrissur and Ernakulam, Kerala, India. ESBL-producing E. coli in RTE foods represents an important food-safety and antimicrobial-resistance concern because these products are consumed without further cooking, enabling direct consumer exposure. A total of 150 samples (50 per product) from 50 outlets were examined using standard enrichment, culture on MacConkey agar (MCA) and Eosin Methylene Blue (EMB) agar, and biochemical identification, with genus-level molecular characterisation by PCR targeting the 16S rRNA gene. ESBL production was screened by the combined disc diffusion method and genotyped by PCR for blaTEM , blaSHV and blaCTX-M . Overall, 70 out of 150 samples (46.7 per cent) yielded Escherichia spp. isolates, biochemically consistent with E. coli, with a significantly higher occurrence in shawarma (68.0 per cent) than in mayonnaise (40.0 per cent) and chicken sandwiches (32.0 per cent), indicating a clear matrix effect for this complex, highly handled poultry based RTE product. Among the 70 confirmed isolates, 23 (32.9 per cent) were ESBL producers. ESBL-positive isolates predominantly carried blaTEM (52.17 per cent), followed by blaCTX-M (39.13 per cent) and blaSHV (17.39 per cent), and these genes were frequently detected in combination, supporting the likelihood of multideterminant resistance dissemination within the RTE food chain. Collectively, these findings identify the sampled poultry-based RTE foods as potential vehicles for ESBL-producing E. coli and underscore the need for strengthened hygiene and process control at retail, routine microbiological monitoring, and One Health–aligned antimicrobial stewardship.
Keywords: Escherichia coli, ready-to-eat foods, extended-spectrum β-lactamase
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© 2026 Sareen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Sareen, N.V., Sethulekshmi, C., Sunil, B., Mathew, B., Jolly, D. & Shynu, M. (2026). Characterisation of ESBL producing Escherichia coli from ready-to-eat chicken shawarma, chicken sandwich and mayonnaise from Thrissur and Ernakulam districts of Kerala. Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 57(2),263-270 https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2026.57.2.263-270