Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producingEscherichia coliisolated from poultry: a review of current problems, illustrated with some laboratory findings

Abstract

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli has been documented in humans as well as in food-producing birds, including chickens, and for unknown reasons the prevalence has increased significantly during the last decade. With E. coli as a major opportunistic pathogen in chickens and with a potential for zoonotic transfer to human beings, ESBL-producing E. coli represents a major risk both to poultry production and to human health. This review presents some of the current problems with ESBL-producing E. coli in relation to poultry production, with a focus on chickens. To illustrate issues in relation to screening and typing, two case studies are included where one collection of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates was obtained from asymptomatic carrier chickens while the other was obtained from lesions in chickens. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and multi-locus sequence typing revealed a highly heterogeneous population of ESBL-producing E. coli. All isolates harboured between one and three large plasmids (>100 kb). Among isolates associated with asymptomatic chickens, the ESBL types SHV and TEM dominated, while CTX-M-1 dominated in disease-associated isolates. The isolates from diseased birds were occasionally of sequence types often associated with human infections, such as ST131. With improved tools to trace and screen for ESBL-producing E. coli at farm level, strategies can be selected that aim to reduce or eliminate the presence of ESBL-producing E. coli in poultry and poultry products meant for human consumption.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases among cloacal Escherichia coliisolates in healthy broilers in Turkey

“…ESBL type CTX-M group are the most common currently, although SHV or TEM were common in the past (2). The genes coding CTX-M group β-lactamase are harbored by plasmids as IS Ecp1.…”

Prevalence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in healthy adults, foods, food animals, and the environment in selected areas in Thailand

“…Antibiotic-resistant bacteria, including ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae, have been detected in food animals, meats, water, and the environment in many Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong, India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia, and could be reservoirs for colonization and infection of human beings. [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] There are several previous microbiological surveys of food animals on farms, fresh meat samples from slaughterhouses and retail stores, exported fresh meat samples and vegetables, and stool samples from both healthy individuals and hospital patients from Thailand and several other countries. [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] Almost all of these reports emphasized the ability of foodborne bacteria in causing gastrointestinal infections, especially Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Arcobacter species, though only a few studies described antibiotic-resistant E. coli.…”

First Detection of an <i>Escherichia coli</i> Strain Harboring the <i>mcr-1</i> Gene in Retail Domestic Chicken Meat in Japan

“…Differences in the genetic environment surrounding mcr-1, including the presence or absence of ISApl1, between the study by Suzuki et al and this study may imply that they evolved through different routes in Japan. As E. coli strain SU43-1 identified in this study, ESBL-producing E. coli strains belonging to ST1684, phylogroup A have been reported in food animals (16). A recent report from China has identified IncI2 plasmid-mediated mcr-1 gene in a Kluyvera ascorbata strain isolated from hospital sewage (17).…”