Microbial Load and Antibiotic Resistance Patterns of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis Isolates from the Meat of Wild and Domestic Pigeons

Abstract

An expansion in the consumption of pigeon meat has occurred in recent years. However, little is known about microbial load and antibiotic resistance of this foodstuff. The hygiene status and the antibiotic resistance patterns (disc diffusion; Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute, CLSI) of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis isolates from wild and domestic pigeon carcasses were investigated. Average microbial loads (log10 cfu/cm2) ranged from 1.40 ± 1.17 (fecal coliforms) to 3.68 ± 1.40 (psychrotrophs). The highest (p < 0.05) microbial loads were observed in domestic pigeons. No substantial differences were found between isolates from domestic and wild pigeons with regard to the prevalence of antibiotic resistance. Of the E. coli strains, 20.00% were susceptible, 25.00% showed resistance or reduced susceptibility to one antimicrobial and 55.00% were multi-resistant. Among the E. faecalis isolates, 2.22% were susceptible and 97.78% were multi-resistant. The greatest prevalence of resistance or reduced susceptibility among E. coli was observed for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (20.00% strains), ampicillin (26.67%), streptomycin (55.00%) and tobramycin (20.00%). The prevalence of resistance or reduced susceptibility among E. faecalis ranged from 31.11% (trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) to 97.78% (erythromycin). Meat from pigeons is a major reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The need for the correct handling of this foodstuff in order to reduce risks to consumers is underlined.

Phylogenetic Diversity, Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Virulence Characteristics of Escherichia coli Isolates from Pigeon Meat

“…The high prevalence of strains showing resistance or reduced susceptibility found in this study coincides with the outcomes of other research work undertaken in north-west Spain focused on chickens [26,27], game [28] and meat preparations [29,30]. Specifically regarding pigeons, a high prevalence of resistance has been noted in Spain [31], Japan [20], Belgium [13], Brazil [32], the Czech Republic [9], Poland [25], Bangladesh [33] and Slovakia [12]. Other researchers have also detected a considerable presence of resistance to antibiotics in strains of E. coli derived from the droppings of various kinds of wild birds and mammals living in close proximity to humans [9,24,34,35].…”

“…In fact, several antibiotics to which considerable prevalence of resistance was observed (e.g., tetracycline) are regularly used as prophylactic or therapeutic agents in animal production [39]. It should be noted, however, that due to the impact of both livestock and human densities on the environment, very slight differences between domestic and wild pigeons with respect to resistance to antibiotics were reported in a previous study [31].…”

Diversity, Antibiotic Resistance, and Biofilm-Forming Ability of Enterobacteria Isolated from Red Meat and Poultry Preparations

“…It should be noted that all the counts for these microbial groups fulfilled the guideline microbiological criteria, which state that they should not exceed 2 (maximum 4) log units/g [20,21] or 3.5 (maximum 4.5) log units/g [22]. Similar counts to those in the present study regarding the presence of enterobacteria in meat have previously been found [23,24] and observed by other authors [25].…”

“…. These average values are in the range of those previously recorded for Gram-negative bacteria in meat, with 0.57 [23], 0.78 [37], 3.76 [31], and 4.0 [38] antimicrobial resistances found for enterobacteria isolates from meat. It should be noted that the highest average number of antibiotic resistances was shown by Enterobacter amnigenus (4.75 ± 0.50) and E. coli (3.95 ± 2.46).…”

Carcass Characteristics, Physicochemical Properties, and Texture and Microstructure of the Meat and Internal Organs of Carrier and King Pigeons

“…The top European producers of pigeon meat are Great Britain, France, and Italy [ 6 ]. Meat pigeon farming is also popular in Denmark, Germany, Spain, and Hungary [ 5 , 7 , 8 ]. Being a niche species of poultry in many countries today, pigeons are kept in flocks of several dozen birds for personal use, sometimes as a source of extra income.…”