The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of occurrence of bacteria of the genus Enterococcus in poultry, to identify them by means of matrixassisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), and to analyse the antimicrobial susceptibility of the isolated strains to the drugs most frequently used in poultry. The material for the bacteriological tests was obtained mainly from the heart (97%) of the birds investigated. Of a total of 2,970 samples tested, 911 (30.7%) tested positive for Enterococcus spp. Enterococci were detected in broilers (88.1%), laying hens (5.3%), turkeys (3.9%), breeding hens (2.2%), and geese (0.4%). The most commonly identified species were Enterococcus (E.) faecalis (74.7%), E. faecium (10.1%), E. gallinarum (5.5%), E. hirae (4.6%), and E. cecorum (4.1%). The most frequent resistance properties were resistance to sulphamethoxazole/trimethoprim (88%), tylosin (71.4%), enrofloxacin (69.4%), doxycycline (67.3%), and lincomycin/spectinomycin (56.1%). Only one vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, E. cecorum from a broiler, was found.
Bacteria of the genus Enterococcus are mainly commensals building natural microflora in the digestive tract of birds and mammals. They belong to the potentially pathogenic microorganisms. Among poultry, infections caused by enterococci were reported in chickens, turkeys, ducks and ostriches. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of enterococci in poultry in Poland, including identification of enterococcus species composition and determination of the age of birds. The analysis was based on data obtained from 2014 – 2015 from Division of Avian Diseases at Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW and four veterinary laboratories in Poland: Lab – Vet, Tarnowo Podgórne; SLW Biolab, Ostróda; Vetdiagnostica, Solec Kujawski; Vet – Lab Brudzew. Seven enterococcal species were isolated from broiler chickens (CB), commercial layers (CL), and broiler breeder flocks (BB), nine from all poultry types (chickens, turkey, ducks and geese). The most often isolated enterococci from CB were E. faecalis (57%) > E. cecorum (7%) > E. faecium (5.2%) > E. hirae (3.6%) > E. gallinarum (2.5%) > E. casseliflavus (0.7%) > E. durans (0.2%). Seven Enterococcus species were isolated from sources associated with poultry, most often E. faecalis > E. faecium > E. cecorum > E. hirae. The differences in the occurrence of particular enterococcal species were observed between CB, BB and CL. The mean age at the time of isolation of E. cecorum was approx.: 3.6 weeks in CB, 27.5 weeks in BB, 33.3 weeks in CL, 12.9 weeks in turkeys, 3.6 weeks in ducks, 39.5 weeks in geese. E. faecalis and E. faecium dominated in samples obtained from hatching eggs, dead-in-shell embryos and from samples related to poultry environment. In conclusion, this study indicates the high prevalence of bacteria of the Enterococcus genus in poultry. The present findings demonstrate the differences in Enterococcus species between poultry groups, including with regard to age. In total 10 enterococcal species (E. faecalis, E. cecorum, E. hirae, E. faecium, E. gallinarum, E. casseliflavus, E. durans, E. avium E. thailandicus, E. aquimarinus) were detected in poultry, poultry environmental samples, hatching eggs and dead-in-shell embryos. Enterococcus faecalis and E. cecorum were found in all above-mentioned sources.
This report suggests a strong association between coagulase-negative Staphylococcus simulans and endocarditis in broiler chickens of a single flock. Clinical signs included increased mortality and lameness, and some dead chickens were found on their backs. Lesions included cauliflower-like, fibrinous vegetative lesions on the left atrioventricular valve; cream-coloured, necrotic foci of varying size in the liver; and necrosis of the femoral head. Histopathological examination of the heart revealed multifocal conglomerates of bacterial colonies attached to the valvular endocardium, threads of fibrin, and inflammatory cells with the presence of heterophils. S. simulans strains were first identified by API ID32, and then confirmed with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry and by partial sequencing of the rpoB and dnaJ genes. These bacteria were resistant to methicillin but sensitive to vancomycin and characterized by slime production and protease activity.
IntroductionA significant threat to public health is presented by antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria, selective pressure on which results from antibiotic use. Colistin is an antibiotic commonly used in veterinary medicine, but also one of last resort in human medicine. Since the 2015 discovery in China of the mcr-1 gene encoding colistin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae, other countries have noted its presence. This study was to find the mcr-1 gene prevalence in E. coli isolated from poultry slaughtered in Poland.Material and MethodsCloacal swabs were taken from December 2017 to October 2018 from broiler chickens in three regions. The samples (n = 158) were grouped as flocks treated with colistin sulphate (n = 87) and those not treated (n = 71). Resistance to antimicrobials commonly used in poultry was evaluated by minimum inhibitory concentration. The presence of the mcr-1 gene was confirmed by PCR.ResultsIsolates containing the mcr-1 gene were yielded by 11.27% of the samples from not treated flocks and 19.54% of those from treated flocks, but no statistically significant difference in the prevalence of the gene was seen between the groups.ConclusionThe results clearly preclude intensification of selective pressure for colistin resistance due to colistin sulphate treatment because they show that the avian gastrointestinal tract was already inhabited by colistin-resistant E. coli by the time the chickens came to the poultry house.
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