Heavy Metal Resistance in Salmonella Typhimurium and Its Association With Disinfectant and Antibiotic Resistance

Abstract

Metals are widely used in animal feed for their growth-stimulating and antimicrobial effects, yet their use may potentially promote the proliferation of antibiotic resistance through co-selection. We studied the prevalence and associations of metal, antibiotic, and disinfectant resistances of 300 Salmonella Typhimurium isolates from pig meat, pig manure, chicken meat, poultry manure, and human stool from Sichuan, China. Seventy four percent of the 300 Salmonella Typhimurium isolates were considered resistant to Cu, almost 50% to Zn and Cr, over 25% to Mn and Cd, and almost 10% to Co. Most of the isolates carried at least one heavy metal resistance gene (HMRG). The Cr-Zn-Cd-resistance gene czcD was carried by 254 isolates and the Cu-resistance genes pcoR and pcoC by 196 and 179 isolates, respectively. Most of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic and almost 80% were multidrug-resistant. The prevalence of resistance to six antibiotics was higher among the pig meat and manure isolates than among other isolates, and that of streptomycin and ampicillin were highest among the pig meat isolates and that of ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin among the pig manure isolates. From 55 to 79% of the isolates were considered resistant to disinfectants triclosan, trichloroisocyanuric acid, or benzalkonium chloride. The metal resistances and HMRGs were associated with resistance to antibiotics and disinfectants. Especially, Cu-resistance genes were associated with resistance to several antibiotics and disinfectants. The transfer of the Cr-Zn-Cd-resistance gene czcD, Cu-resistance gene pcoC, and Co-Ni-resistance gene cnrA into Escherichia coli and the increased Cu-resistance of the transconjugants implied that the resistance genes were located on conjugative plasmids. Thus, the excessive use of metals and disinfectants as feed additives and in animal care may have the potential to promote antibiotic resistance through co-selection and maintain and promote antibiotic resistance even in the absence of antibiotics.

Virulence and Antibiotic Resistance Profiles of Salmonella Isolated from Chicken Ready Meals and Humans in Egypt

“…which may be attributed to the fact that the temperature of grilling is not sufficient to kill micro-organisms, besides it receives more handling during preparation. This result was consistent with Abd El-Tawab et al ( 2015) and Mustafa et al (2021) who found that 10.9% and 10% of the examined chicken meat were positive for Salmonella, respectively. Other studies registered higher incidences of the organism as those conducted by Hassanin et al (2014) (22.2%) and Saad et al (2015) (15%).…”

Salmonella Enteritidis Fatal Septicemia with Meningoencephalitis in a Tiger (Panthera tigris) Cub

“…The presence of possible direct or indirect contact between susceptible species (humans and animals) of zoonotic pathogens is a sensitive point on which it is prudent to intervene by means of training, information, and prevention measures [ 40 , 41 ]. For instance, captive animals may be trained for different purposes, i.e., to interact with the public for educational demonstrations, for husbandry purposes, or for non-invasive medical procedures to be performed in non-sedated animals (e.g., nasal swabs, blood samples): these practices are contemplated to ensure more efficient and less impactful health control on the captive animal population [ 42 ].…”

Physiological Characteristics of Putative Enterobacteria Associated with Meat and Fish Available in Southern Brazilian Retail Markets: Antimicrobial Susceptibility, Toxic Metal Tolerance and Expression of Efflux Pumps

“…The occurrence of metal tolerant foodborne pathogens has been reported by multiple studies. It is accepted that an antimicrobial co-resistance and cross-resistance phenomena (resistance borne by adjacent genetic markers in mobile genome such as integrons and the multiple-resistance physiological mechanisms related to one genetic marker, respectively) may be screened by a toxic metal tolerance [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. Nonetheless, the lack of technical standards for such experimental designs hinders a data comparison.…”