Antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae from healthy broilers in Egypt: emergence of colistin-resistant and extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli

Abstract

BackgroundPoultry remains one of the most important reservoir for zoonotic multidrug resistant pathogens. The global rise of antimicrobial resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is of reasonable concern and demands intensified surveillance.MethodsIn 2016, 576 cloacal swabs were collected from 48 broiler farms located in five governorates in northern Egypt. Isolates of Enterobacteriaceae could be cultivated on different media and were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and PCR. Escherichia coli isolates were genotyped by DNA-microarray-based assays. The antimicrobial susceptibility to 14 antibiotics was determined and resistance-associated genes were detected. The VITEK-2 system was applied for phenotypical confirmation of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing isolates. The determination of colistin resistance was carried out phenotypically using E-test and genotypically using PCR for detection of the mcr-1 gene.ResultsOut of 576 samples, 72 representatives of Enterobacteriaceae were isolated and identified as 63 E. coli (87.5%), 5 Enterobacter cloacae (6.9%), 2 Klebsiella pneumoniae (2.8%) and 2 Citrobacter spp. (2.8%). Seven out of 56 cultivated E. coli (12.5%) were confirmed as ESBL-producing E. coli and one isolate (1.8%) as ESBL/carbapenemase-producing E. coli. Five out of 63 E. coli isolates (7.9%) recovered from different poultry flocks were phenotypically resistant to colistin and harboured mcr-1 gene.ConclusionsThis is the first study reporting colistin resistance and emergence of multidrug resistance in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from healthy broilers in the Nile Delta region, Egypt. Colistin-resistant E. coli in poultry is of public health significance. The global rise of ESBL- and carbapenemase-producing Gram-negative bacteria demands intensified surveillance. ESBL-producing E. coli in poultry farms in Egypt are of major concern that emphasizes the possibility of spread of such strains to humans. The results also reinforce the need to develop strategies and to implement specific control procedures to reduce the use of antibiotics.

Microbiological quality of kitchens sponges used in university student dormitories

“…In the present study, the antibiograms of the Enterobacteriaceae isolates showed that all E. cloacae isolates ( n = 28) were resistant to amoxicillin, cefalotin, cefuroxime, cefoxitin and cefuroxime axetil while only one isolate was resistant to cefpodoxime. Similar to our findings, E. cloacae isolates from healthy broilers were reported to be resistant to amoxicillin [ 48 ] and those from green leafy vegetables were resistant to cephalothin, cefuroroxime, cefoxitin, amipicillin, and amoxicillin-clavulanate [ 49 ]. The increasing antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria is a major public health issue as that will increase foodborne illnesses and narrow treatment choices [ 50 ].…”

Co-selection may explain the unexpectedly high prevalence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene <i>mcr-1</i> in a Chinese broiler farm

“…Also, 55 (66.3%) strains showed resistance (MIC ≥ 4 mg/L) to colistin. The high prevalence of colistin resistance and circulation of mcr-1 among the E. coli collected from this broiler farm was unexpected, as the occurrence of MCREC in avian farms is usually low, e.g., 10% in China ( Yang et al, 2017 ), 8% in Egypt ( Moawad et al, 2018 ), 2% in South Africa ( Perreten et al, 2016 ), and 2% in France ( Perrin-Guyomard et al, 2016 ). The exceptionally high detection rate of MCREC (63.9%) in the current study is worrying as distribution of mcr-1 along the broiler industry chain is possible ( Wang et al, 2017c ).…”

“…Generally, the occurrence of colistin resistance and mcr-1 among Enterobacteriaceae isolates from humans (0.1%–8.8%) is lower than that from livestock (0.9%–76.9%) ( Liu & Liu, 2018 ; Liu et al, 2016 ; Quan et al, 2017 ; Wang et al, 2017b ). For avian species, the detection rate of Enterobacteriaceae carrying mcr-1 is generally below 30% ( Lentz et al, 2016 ; Moawad et al, 2018 ; Perrin-Guyomard et al, 2016 ; Shen et al, 2016 ; Trung et al, 2017 ). In China, the prevalence of mcr-1 and colistin resistance in E. coli from avians (~10%) is generally lower than that from swine (~30%) ( Huang et al, 2017 ; Yang et al, 2017 ; Zhang et al, 2018 ).…”

Efficacy of Live Attenuated Vaccine and Commercially Available Lectin against Avian Pathogenic E. coli Infection in Broiler Chickens

“…The high prevalence of multidrug-resistant APEC poses a zoonotic risk in developing countries [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Therefore, alternatives such as vaccines and lectins are being developed to combat E. coli infection in poultry [ 11 , 12 ].…”