Impact of unhygienic conditions during slaughtering and processing on spread of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli from poultry

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli is a global health concern. We studied all possible routes of cross contamination of broiler meat with resistant E. coli from broiler feces at poultry shops. Various sample categories namely poultry feces, meat (n=225 for each), slaughterer hands, consumer hands, slaughterer knife, canister, tap water, carcass, feed and drinking water (n=50 for each) were collected from local poultry processing market. Samples were screened for prevalence of E. coli, resistance of isolates against ten antibiotics and presence of tetracycline-resistance genes in the isolates. Fecal samples had greatest colony count (4.1×10 4 CFU/g) as compared to meat (1.9×10 4 CFU/g) samples. Samples of consumer hands (6%) and tap water (12%) had less prevalence percentages of E. coli as compared to slaughterer hands (92%) and drinking water of broiler (86%). Isolates of eight sample categories had high resistant rate (≥90%) against oxytetracycline. On average, about 94% of the isolates from various sample categories possessed multidrug-resistance (MDR). Tetracycline-resistance genes (tetA and tetB) were identified in all sample categories except isolates of consumer hands and tap water. The distribution of tetracycline-resistance genes was significantly greater in fecal isolates (42%) than meat isolates (25%). The study depicted the spread of resistant E. coli in broiler meat through all studied routes of contamination of slaughtering periphery. This problem can be mitigated by strict monitoring of antibiotics use at poultry farms, prevention of cross contamination by adopting hygienic slaughter and vigorously screening the market meat for resistant E. coli.

Antimicrobial Drug Resistance in Sheep Farms in Greece: Assessment of the Current Situation and Investigation Towards Improving Surveillance and Control

“…As expected, the number of AMR Although the high level of AMR and MDR positivity of the animal feeds generates concern about the spread of genetic determinants conferring drug resistance into the farm and their potential impact on public health, it is not an uncommon finding [8]. The contamination of animal feeds with AMR strains of many bacterial pathogens has been repeatedly reported in the past [3,4,21,22]. This problem seems to be associated with the production line of animal feeds, which is prone to contamination that is very difficult to be prevented in practice.…”

Comparison of antibiotic resistance pattern among Enteropathogenic bacteria isolated from broiler and backyard chicken meat

“…A systematic review by Simoneit et al (2015), showed oral administration of antimicrobials increases antimicrobial resistance E. coli from chicken. Resistant bacteria from intestinal contents can contaminate chicken carcasses at various stages of the chicken slaughtering process (Amir et al ,2017). The percentages of antibiotic-resistant strains among genera of Enterobacteriaceae from broiler chicken meat isolates were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that from backyard chicken meat isolates (Table 3).…”

“…Enterobacteriaceae can cause severe infections, and some important members of this family are becoming increasingly resistant to currently available antimicrobials (Delgado-Valverde et al, 2013). During evisceration after slaughtering, resistant bacteria from the animal intestine can contaminate chicken carcasses; therefore, chicken meat is often contaminated with resistant bacteria (Rasschaert et al, 2007;Amir et al, 2017).…”

A Preliminary Study: Antibiotic Resistance of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus from the Meat and Feces of Various South African Wildlife Species

“…Although studies are limited, especially on bacteria from wildlife, several studies have been conducted on the antibiotic resistance patterns within a meat processing facility and conclude that cross-contamination of antibiotic resistant bacteria onto the meat does occur and originates from various sources such as the animal feces, staff hands or facility equipment and machinery ( Amir et al, 2017 ; Aslam et al, 2003 ; Schlegelová et al, 2004 ).…”