American Journal of Food and Nutrition, 2025, Vol. 13, No. 1, 1-7 Available online at http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajfn/13/1/1 Published by Science and Education Publishing DOI:10.12691/ajfn-13-1-1 Prevalence of Bacterial Pathogens and Their Antibiogram Profile in Raw Buffalo Meat from Maharashtra State, India Ravindra Zende 1,* , Vilas Vaidya 1 , Aishwarya Nair 1 , V.H. Shukla 1 , Mahendra Pal 2 , Nidhi Panicker 1 , Aparna Shirke 1 , Suren Tambe 1 1 Department of Veterinary Public Health, Mumbai Veterinary College, Parel, Mumbai, India -400012 Maharashtra Animal & Fishery Sciences University, Nagpur-440001 2 Narayan Consultancy of Veterinary Public Health, and Microbiology, Bharuch, Gujarat, India *Corresponding author: Received November 28, 2024; Revised December 30, 2024; Accepted January 05, 2025 Abstract Foods of animal origin are an extremely important source of protein to the public in developing countries. However, the safety and quality of meat can be severely compromised by microbial contamination. Moreover, the presence of antibiotic residues in meat poses a significant public health concern due to its effects on human health through direct or indirect consumption. This study investigates the prevalence of pathogenic microbes in raw buffalo meat and evaluates their antibiogram profiles to ensure meat safety. A total of 250 raw buffalo meat samples were collected from the slaughterhouses in Mumbai region. The samples were subjected to microbiological analysis for detection of common foodborne pathogens, including Bacillus spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas spp. The most prevalent pathogen in buffalo meat was found to be Staphylococcus aureus (26.00 %), followed by Salmonella spp. (18.40 %), E. coli (11.2 %) and Bacillus cereus (16.40 %), while Pseudomonas spp. and Listeria monocytogenes were absent in the samples. The bacterial isolates were further subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing using disc diffusion method and the antibiogram revealed varying resistance profiles (MAR index > 0.2) with significant resistance observed against conventionally used antibiotics such as chloramphenicol, amikacin, cefotaxim, co-trimaxole and gentamicin. The current study emphasizes on the need for implementation of stringent hygiene practices and effective collaboration to implement antimicrobial stewardship in meat production and processing industry. The study concluded that the importance of regular monitoring and implementation of corrective measures to enhance food safety and safeguard consumer health. Keywords: Antibiogram, Buffalo meat, Food safety, MAR index, Pathogens, Public Health Cite This Article: Ravindra Zende, Vilas Vaidya, Aishwarya Nair, V.H. Shukla, Mahendra Pal 2 , Nidhi Panicker, Aparna Shirke, and Suren Tambe, “Prevalence of Bacterial Pathogens and Their Antibiogram Profile in Raw Buffalo Meat from Maharashtra State, India.” American Journal of Food and Nutrition, vol. 13, no. 1 (2025): 1- 7. doi: 10.12691/ajfn-13-1-1. 1. Introduction Foodborne illnesses hold significant public health significance, particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries. They severely hamper the productivity, besides having an impact on the economy of the nation [1]. Improper cooking, cross contamination of meat and unhygienic slaughter practices are a few among the reasons contributing to the occurrence of foodborne diseases, indirectly leading to yield reduction and associated economic losses. Thus, antimicrobials are used for the treatment of clinical diseases in animals. Due to increased demand of the livestock sector, feeding antimicrobials (antibiotics) as growth promoter at sub- therapeutic doses to swine, cattle and poultry has become an integral part of the farm animal production [2,3]. Antibiotic residues are metabolites that are found in trace amounts in any edible portion of the animal product, after the administration of the antibiotics. The consumption of such food may contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance in animals or humans [4]. Animals excrete a considerable portion of antibiotics through faeces and urine, creating a substantial risk of active metabolite accumulation in the environment due to their persistent nature. Antibiotic growth promoters are known to suppress the gut bacteria leaving more nutrients for chicken to be absorbed for greater growth [5]. The residues are further passed on via the food chain. Food of animal origin harboring pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria serves as a platform for evolution of new drug- resistant and multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria via horizontal exchange of drug-resistant genes [6]. the