Bacterial Contamination and Antibiotic Susceptibility Profile of Isolates from Shopping Cart Handles in Supermarkets

Background: Shopping cart handles are high-touch surfaces handled by numerous customers daily but rarely disinfected, raising concern over transmission of pathogenic and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This study assessed contamination of cart handles in Benghazi supermarkets and antibiotic susceptibility. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study used 100 swabs collected from the handles of shopping carts at 20 supermarkets (5 carts/supermarket) in Benghazi. We identified bacterial isolates by culture, Gram staining, biochemical tests, and VITEK 2 Compact. We determined antibiotic susceptibility by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion against ten antimicrobial agents; we analysed data using the chi-square test (P < 0.05, significant). Results: Positive growth occurred in 60% of samples, with significant variation among supermarkets (P = 0.039, range 20–100%). Of 61 isolates, 62.3% were Gram-positive and 37.7% Gram-negative. S. aureus (19.7%) predominated, followed by B. cereus and B. subtilis (11.5% each); while Pseudomonas luteola was the most frequent Gram-negative isolate (9.8%). Popular supermarkets yielded more isolates (72.1%) than upmarket ones (27.9%, P = 0.159). Isolates were most sensitive to doxycycline (95.1%), ciprofloxacin (83.6%), and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (82.0%); resistance was highest to cefixime (67.2%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (52.5%). Conclusion: Cart handles in Benghazi are frequently contaminated with resistant bacteria. Routine disinfection and hand hygiene are recommended.