Molecular diversity of Extended‐spectrum β‐lactamase‐producing Escherichia coli from vultures in Canary Islands

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance among isolates from wild animals is increasingly reported. Extended‐spectrum beta‐lactamase (ESBL)‐producing Enterobacteriaceae, and particularly Escherichia coli, have spread worldwide as one of the most common multidrug‐resistant organisms. The aim of this study was to determine the carriage rate of ESBL‐producing E. coli isolates and their genetic characteristics in wild vultures from the Canary Islands. Faecal samples were collected from 22 apparently healthy free‐ranging (wild) vulture chicks from Lanzarote and Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) during July 2019. They were seeded in MacConkey agar supplemented with cefotaxime (2 μg ml−1). Colonies with typical morphology of E. coli were identified by MALDI‐TOF‐MS. Antimicrobial susceptibility was done by disk diffusion. Phenotypic detection of ESBL was performed by double‐disk tests. The presence of blaCTX‐M, blaSHV, blaTEM, blaKPC and blaOXA‐48 genes, as well as mcr‐1 (colistin resistance), tetA/tetB and int1 gene, was tested by PCR/sequencing. Phylogenetic groups and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were determined by PCR/sequencing. ESBL‐producing E. coli isolates were detected in 5/22 tested animals (22.7%), and all isolates (one/animal) carried blaCTX‐M genes: blaCTX‐M‐15 (n = 3) and blaCTX‐M‐55 (n = 2). ESBL‐positive isolates were ascribed to phylogenetic group D (two isolates), B1 (two isolates) and A (one isolate), and five sequence types were detected (ST/phylogenetic‐group/ESBL): ST515/B1/CTX‐M‐15, ST1290/A/CTX‐M‐15, ST38/D/CTX‐M‐15, ST457/D/CTX‐M‐55 and ST6448/B1/CTX‐M‐55; this suggests a genetic diversity among these isolates. Three CTX‐M‐15‐producing isolates contained the blaTEM gene and one the tetA gene. To our knowledge, this appears to be the first report of ESBL‐producing E. coli in vulture chicks from the Canary Islands.

Antimicrobial Resistance Genes and Diversity of Clones among ESBL- and Acquired AmpC-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Fecal Samples of Healthy and Sick Cats in Portugal

“…The ST6448 lineage was detected in three of our isolates carrying the genes encoding CTX-M-15 or CTX-M-55 (associated with CMY-2 in one isolate); this lineage has also been found in previous studies of our team in two CTX-M-15-producing isolates of sick dogs in Portugal [51] and in one CTX-M-55-producing isolate of a vulture from the Canary Islands [52]. To our knowledge, there is only one previous report related to the detection of this clone in humans, performed in healthy children in Sweden [53].…”

Antimicrobial Resistance Genes and Diversity of Clones among Faecal ESBL-Producing Escherichia coli Isolated from Healthy and Sick Dogs Living in Portugal

“…The frequency of the ST6448 lineage, which was observed in two sick dogs in this study, is considered an infrequent clone in humans and companion animals. This lineage was also found among a vulture faecal sample from Canary Islands [ 51 ]. To our knowledge, there is only one previous report related to the detection of this clone in humans, which was recently reported in healthy children from Sweden [ 52 ].…”

First Report of a Multidrug-Resistant ST58 Escherichia coli Harboring Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase of the CTX-M-1 Class in a Fecal Sample of a Captive Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) in Costa Rica, Central America

“…Food manipulation, runoff, disinfectant use, and frequent antibiotic therapy are suggested to be the main drivers for resistant bacteria transmission (i.e., mainly through horizontal gene transfer mechanisms) in these facilities. 29,31,34 Similar to human and veterinarian medicine, the most detected type of ESBL in wild animals corresponds to the 10,12,16,17 In addition to the bla CTX-M gene-family also the bla SHV-12 and bla TEM-52 were identified. 10 The most commonly reported non-ESBL phenotypes showed resistance to ampicillin, streptomycin, and tetracycline.…”

“…It is a reservoir for antibiotic resistance genes, which may have an essential role in the epidemiology of resistance determinants spillover. 8,[10][11][12] Given that E. coli easily become resistant due to point mutations or horizontal transfer of genetic material, these bacteria have been used to measure antimicrobial resistance prevalence. 11 Among the resistant mechanisms in Gram-negative (GN) bacteria, E. coli producing extendedspectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL), mainly from the CTX-M type, are considered an exciting topic in public health since they have caused many outbreaks and infections in humans worldwide.…”