Broiler Farms and Carcasses Are an Important Reservoir of Multi-Drug Resistant Escherichia coli in Ecuador

David Ortega-Paredes, Sofía de Janon, Fernando Villavicencio, Katherine Jaramillo Ruales, Kenny De La Torre, José E. Villacís, Jaap A. Wagenaar, Jorge Matheu, Camila Bravo-Vallejo, Esteban Fernández-Moreira, Christian Vinueza-Burgos*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

26 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major health threat for public and animal health in the twenty-first century. In Ecuador, antibiotics have been used by the poultry industry for decades resulting in the presence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria in the poultry meat production chain, with the consequent risk for public health. This study evaluated the prevalence of ESBL/AmpC and mcr genes in third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Escherichia coli (3GC-R E. coli) isolated from broiler farms (animal component), broiler carcasses (food component), and human enteritis (human component) in Quito-Ecuador. Samples were collected weekly from November 2017 to November 2018. For the animal, food, and human components, 133, 335, and 302 samples were analyzed, respectively. Profiles of antimicrobial resistance were analyzed by an automated microdilution system. Resistance genes were studied by PCR and Sanger sequencing. From all samples, 122 (91.7%), 258 (77%), and 146 (48.3%) samples were positive for 3GC-R E. coli in the animal, food, and human components, respectively. Most of the isolates (472/526, 89.7%) presented MDR phenotypes. The ESBL blaCTX-M-55, blaCTX-M-3, blaCTX-M-15, blaCTX-M-65, blaCTX-M-27, and blaCTX-M-14 were the most prevalent ESBL genes while blaCMY-2 was the only AmpC detected gene. The mcr-1 gene was found in 20 (16.4%), 26 (10.1%), and 3 (2.1%) of isolates from animal, food, and human components, respectively. The implication of poultry products in the prevalence of ESBL/AmpC and mcr genes in 3GC-R must be considered in the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.

Original languageEnglish
Article number547843
JournalFrontiers in Veterinary Science
Volume7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 25 Nov 2020

Keywords

  • AmpC beta-lactamases
  • broiler carcasses
  • broiler farms
  • E. coli
  • extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)
  • human
  • mcr-1

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Broiler Farms and Carcasses Are an Important Reservoir of Multi-Drug Resistant Escherichia coli in Ecuador'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this