Street foods are a critical component of diets in developing countries due to their affordability and convenience, however, concerns regarding their microbiological safety persist. This study aimed to provide a preliminary assessment of microbial contamination and antibiotic resistance in selected street foods sold at Gopalganj Science and Technology University (GSTU), Bangladesh. Five commonly consumed food items (fuchka, dal puri, pasta, chickpea curry, and sandwich) were collected and analyzed using standard microbiological methods to assess total viable counts, fungal contamination, coliform presence, and antibiotic susceptibility. All samples exhibited elevated bacterial (≥10 10 CFU/g) and fungal (≥10 8 CFU/g) loads exceeding safety limits. Coliform and fecal coliform bacteria were detected in all samples, indicating potential hygiene concerns. A total of 29 bacterial isolates were recovered and subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing. The isolates showed high levels of resistance to multiple antibiotics, including rifampin (79%), imipenem (76%), vancomycin (66%), cefazolin (48%), nitrofurantoin (41%), and cefepime (31%). Molecular identification of a representative multi-antibiotic-resistant isolate confirmed its similarity to Enterococcus faecalis . These findings suggest the potential presence of microbiological contamination and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in selected street foods from the GSTU campus. Further large-scale investigations are required to better understand the extent and public health implications of these findings.
Bakshi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.