The Potential Role of the American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) as a Vector of Enterobacteriaceae in Kuwait

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Science, PAAET Basic Education College, Kuwait

2 Veterinary Laboratories, PAAFR, Kuwait

Abstract

Due to cockroaches’ filthy habits and habitats, they are incriminated to mechanically disseminate a wide range of food-borne pathogens. This study was designed to examine the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) as a carrier of bacteria and explore their risk to human health in Kuwait. From the 6 governorates of Kuwait, 600 cockroaches were collected for isolating and quantifying bacterial load using macroscopical, microscopical, and biochemical methods. A total of 20 bacterial isolates were determined by this study of which Escherichia coli was the most prevalent and Acinetobacter baumannii was the second dominant and as far as we are aware this is the first identification of this species on the American cockroach. Pseudomonas luteola and klebsiella pneumoniae were recognized as the least frequent bacteria. Several bacterial isolates were identified as highly pathogenic to humans such as Salmonella choleraesuis and Serratia marcescens and others. This study, which is regarded as the first study carried out in Kuwait, accentuated that the American cockroach is graded as a potential disseminator of life-threatening pathogenic agents and its public health implications should be highly considered. Hence, effective preventive and control measures are needed.

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