Occurrence of KPC-Producing Escherichia coli in Psittaciformes Rescued from Trafficking in Paraíba, Brazil

Abstract

The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance pose a threat to public health globally. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes can disseminate among environments, animals and humans. Therefore, investigation into potential reservoirs of multidrug-resistant bacteria is of great importance to the understanding of putative transmission routes of resistant bacteria and resistance genes. This study aimed to report the occurrence of Escherichia coli harboring the Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing gene (blaKPC) in Psittaciformes rescued from wildlife trafficking in Paraíba State, Brazil. Cloacal swabs were collected from thirty birds and cultured by conventional microbiology using MacConkey and serum tryptone glucose glycerol (STGG) media supplemented with selective antimicrobials. E. coli isolates (n = 43) were identified by phenotypic tests and confirmed by MALDI-TOF. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were determined by means of Kirby–Bauer test. All isolates were further screened for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production, and putative genes encoding ESBL were investigated by PCR. Additionally, blaKPC-harboring strains were genotyped by REP-PCR. A total of 43 E. coli phenotypically resistant isolates were recovered. The highest resistance rate was observed against ciprofloxacin. Among the resistance genes, only blaKPC was found in seven different birds from three species. According to the genotyping, these seven isolates belonged to four different strains. To date, this is the first report on the occurrence of KPC-E. coli in Psittaciformes rescued from trafficking in Northeastern Brazil. Due to the high clinical importance of KPC-E. coli, our findings suggest that wild animals in captivity at wildlife rescue centers can play a role as reservoirs of bacteria that are resistance to Critically Important antimicrobials in human medicine.

One Health or Three? Transmission modelling ofKlebsiellaisolates reveals ecological barriers to transmission between humans, animals and the environment

“…The isolation of the widespread healthcare associated clone ST307 from companion animals, the recovery of highly virulent strains from dogs, and the putative transmission of strains and plasmids between humans and invertebrates in the hospital environment are pertinent examples. Combined with multiple examples from the literature [59][60][61][62][63] , our data therefore underlines the importance of basic hygiene measures, particularly with respect to contact with animals.…”

Pandemic Clones of CTX-M-15 Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae ST15, ST147, and ST307 in Companion Parrots

“…There they can spread resistant pathogens from stool. Silva et al (2021) reported the presence of KPC-producing E. coli in Psittaciformes rescued from trafficking in Brazil. The authors highlighted the risks associated with reintroduction or domestic breeding of these birds [11].…”

“…Silva et al (2021) reported the presence of KPC-producing E. coli in Psittaciformes rescued from trafficking in Brazil. The authors highlighted the risks associated with reintroduction or domestic breeding of these birds [11]. In a previous study, we reported the importance of virulent strains of K. pneumoniae isolated from parrots and passerines seized from illegal wildlife trade, which carried plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance, SHV-1, SHV-11, and blaTEM-1 genes [9].…”