Fluoroquinolones Resistance Pattern of Escherichia coli from Apparently Healthy Broiler Chickens in Egypt
Fluoroquinolones Resistance Pattern of Escherichia coli from Apparently Healthy Broiler Chickens in Egypt
Mohamed S. Hussein1*, Hanan A. Fahmy2, Ashraf A. Abd El Tawab3
ABSTRACT
Antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli is increasingly becoming a matter of serious concern in veterinary and human health sectors worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate the phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of quinolones and fluoroquinolones resistance in Escherichia coli recovered from apparently healthy broiler chickens in Egypt. A total of 150 cloacal swabs collected from broiler chickens from farms and bird markets were subjected to bacteriological and biochemical examination. The results revealed that 92% (138/150) of samples were found positive for E. coli. The antimicrobial susceptibility testing of 72 confirmed E. coli isolates against seven quinolones and fluoroquinolones antibiotics revealed that 62 (86.1%) were resistant to at least one antibiotic, with highest resistance rates observed against first generation (86.1% for nalidixic acid, and 81.9% for flumequine), and lowest rate against levofloxacin (33.3%). A total of 24 isolates, dsplaying high resistance to at least 5 fluroquinolone antibiotics, were then screened for plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes qnrA, qnrB, qnrS, qepA and aac(6′)-Ib-cr by PCR. The results revealed that 22 isolates (91.7%) harboured at least one PMQR gene, with qnrS being the most frequent (83.3%). The qepA, qnrB and aa (6′)-Ib-cr genes occurrence was 54.2%, 16.7% and 4.2% respectively, while qnrA was not detected in any isolate. The high prevalence of fluoroquinolones resistance, and transferable fluoroquinolones resistance determinants in E. coli from apparently healthy broilers in this study could pose a serious public health hazard, which highlights the need for effective monitoring and surveillance programs and cooperation between the sectors related to the epidemiology of these determinants.
Keywords | Antimicrobial resistance, Broiler chickens, Commensals, Escherichia coli, Fluoroquinolones
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