Background
The occurrence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) due to the high demand in poultry industries are of great public health concern. Indiscriminate and abusive use of various antibiotics on a large scale causes antibiotic resistance (AMR) in animal-associated bacteria that may be pathogenic to humans. These bacteria are widely disseminated in the environment via animal waste. This study was therefore designed to assess the prevalence of multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) among the environmental bacteria in poultry farms and to determine the risk contamination category of poultry by calculating the multiple antibiotic resistance index (MARI).
Results
More than half (58.2%) of the 511 total bacteria had MAR, and a number of bacteria were resistant to cefazolin (86.8%), fusidic acid (84.6%), ampicillin (79.3%), clindamycin (65.5%) and erythromycin (63.7%). These antibiotics are listed under the WHO’s criteria of critically and highly important antibiotics in human medicine. In this study, 39.53% of the MARI values, which indicate the contamination level in the environment, indicated a high risk, while 14.48% were ambiguous.
Conclusion
These results therefore have shown that MAR is present not only among humans and animals but also in environmental bacteria. The high prevalence of MAR and the MARI values, together with the resistance patterns of each bacterium, indicate various effects, including possible occupational risks among workers. This study provides an introduction to the AMR of bacteria in the environment. Further studies are needed to observe the horizontal transfer of the resistance gene and the overall mobile genetic elements in environmental bacteria.
Multidrug resistant (MDR) enterococci pose significant public health challenges. However, the extent of resistance in the environment is less explored. This study aimed to determine the antibiotic resistance in a poultry farm environment. Eighty enterococcal isolates recovered from the soil and effluent water of 28 poultry farms in Selangor state were included in the study for further bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing using a VITEK 2 system. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 27. The resistance rate and MDR of enterococcal isolates were reported. Out of 80 isolates recovered, 72 (90%) exhibited resistance to at least one antibiotic, with 50 isolates (62.5%) being found to be MDR. All linezolid-resistant enterococci (LRE) exhibit MDR, which constituted 40% of resistance among all the isolates recovered from poultry environment. Since linezolid is listed as critically important antibiotics for clinical use by the World Health Organization (WHO), the higher resistance towards it and other critically important antibiotic for human use is a serious concern. Hence, relevant agencies need to investigate the use of clinically important antimicrobials in poultry farms paying special attention towards linezolid or any other antibiotics that can facilitate the development of LRE.
The occurrence and spread of ARB due to high demand in poultry industries are of great public health concern. The widespread emergence of antibiotic resistance, particularly MDR among bacterial pathogens, poses challenges in clinical treatment.
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