Antimicrobial-resistant faecalEscherichia coliin wild mammals in central Europe: multiresistantEscherichia coliproducing extended-spectrum beta-lactamases in wild boars

Abstract

Aims: To determine the presence of antibiotic‐resistant faecal Escherichia coli in populations of wild mammals in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Methods and Results: Rectal swabs or faeces collected during 2006–2008 from wild mammals were spread on MacConkey agar and MacConkey agar containing 2 mg l−1 of cefotaxime. From plates with positive growth, one isolate was recovered and identified as E. coli. Susceptibility to 12 antibiotics was tested using the disk diffusion method. Resistance genes, class 1 and 2 integrons and gene cassettes were detected in resistant isolates by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Extended‐spectrum beta‐lactamases (ESBL) were further characterized by DNA sequencing, macrorestriction profiling and determination of plasmid sizes. Plasmid DNA was subjected to EcoRV digestion, transferability by conjugation and incompatibility grouping by multiplex PCR. The prevalence of resistant isolates was 2% in small terrestrial mammals (rodents and insectivores, nE. coli = 242), 12% in wild ruminants and foxes (nE. coli = 42), while no resistant isolates were detected in brown bears (nE. coli = 16). In wild boars (Sus scrofa) (nE. coli = 290), the prevalence of resistant isolates was 6%. Class 1 and 2 integrons with various gene cassettes were recorded in resistant isolates. From wild boars, five (2%, nrectal smears = 293) multiresistant isolates producing ESBL were recovered: one isolate with blaCTX‐M‐1 + blaTEM‐1, three with blaCTX‐M‐1 and one with blaTEM‐52b. The blaCTX‐M‐1 genes were carried on approx. 90 kb IncI1 conjugative plasmids. Conclusions: Antibiotic‐resistant E. coli occured in populations of wild mammals in various prevalences. Significance and Impact of the Study: Wild mammals are reservoirs of antibiotic‐resistant E. coli including ESBL‐producing strains which were found in wild boars.

No Evidence for Transmission of Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains from Humans to Wild Western Lowland Gorillas in Lopé National Park, Gabon

“…If E. coli antibiotic-resistant isolates were found in the stools of gorillas and other wild animals at a low level compared to that for humans, where are these resistant E. coli isolates coming from? Previous studies have proposed that contact and subsequent transmission of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains from highly resistant sources, such as humans or livestock, could account for the presence of antibiotic resistance in wild animals (9,22,32,34). In particular, the presence of multiresistant strains among gorillas has been used previously as evidence of resistant bacterial transmission from a source such as humans, which are subject to high selection pressure from antibiotics (e.g., see reference 33).…”

“…In particular, the presence of antibiotic-resistant strains in untreated wild animals has been suggested to reflect bacterial exchange with humans or domestic animals, in which treatment with antibiotics actively selects antibiotic-resistant strains (1,6,9,22,32,34). Furthermore, several molecular techniques are now available to compare the genetic structure of E. coli strains from different populations (4,37), thus contributing to the understanding of the subjacent transmission process.…”

Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli Bacteria, Including Strains with Genes Encoding the Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase and QnrS, in Waterbirds on the Baltic Sea Coast of Poland

“…Susceptibilities to the following antibacterial substances were tested: amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (30 g), ampicillin (10 g), cephalothin (30 g), ceftazidime (30 g), chloramphenicol (30 g), ciprofloxacin (5 g), gentamicin (10 g), nalidixic acid (30 g), streptomycin (10 g), sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (25 g), sulfonamide compounds (300 g), and tetracycline (30 g) (Oxoid). In E. coli isolates found to be resistant to one or more of the antibiotics listed above, PCR was used to detect specific antibiotic resistance genes, integrase genes int1 and int2, and gene cassettes within class 1 and 2 integrons (47 PCR for ESBL/quinolone resistance genes. The colonies grown on MCA with cefotaxime were examined using the double-disk synergy test (DDST) for the production of ESBL (16,80).…”

Scientific Opinion on the public health risks of bacterial strains producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases and/or AmpC β-lactamases in food and food-producing animals

“…1. (Garcia-Fernandez et al, 2009;Literak et al, 2009;Moodley and Guardabassi, 2009) 2. (Garcia-Fernandez et al, 2008;Phan et al, 2009;Villa et al, 2010) …”