Isolation, Identification and Genetic Characterization of Antibiotic Resistant Escherichia coli from Frozen Chicken Meat Obtained from Supermarkets at Dhaka City in Bangladesh

Abstract

Antimicrobials have been used to improve animal welfare, food security, and food safety that promote the emergence, selection, and dissemination of antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria. In this study, 50 E. coli were isolated from frozen chicken meat samples in Dhaka city. Antibiotic sensitivity patterns were assessed through the disk diffusion method and finally screened for the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG) using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Among the 160 samples, the prevalence of E. coli was observed in fifty samples (31.25%). All of these isolates were found resistant to at least one antimicrobial agent, and 52.0% of the isolates were resistant against 4–7 different antimicrobials. High resistance was shown to tetracycline (66.0%), followed by resistance to erythromycin (42.0%), ampicillin and streptomycin (38.0%), and sulfonamide (28.0%). In addition, the most prevalent ARGs were tet(A) (66.0%), ereA (64.0%), tet(B) (60.0%), aadA1 and sulI (56.0%), blaCITM (48.0%) and blaSHV (40.0%). About 90.0% of isolates were multidrug resistant. This study reveals for the first time the current situation of E. coli AMR in broilers, which is helpful for the clinical control of disease as well as for the development of policies and guidelines to reduce AMR in broilers production in Bangladesh.

Antimicrobial resistance of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from broiler, layer, and breeder chickens

“…This study reported a significantly very high percentage of MDR (91.6%) in APEC isolates from different chicken types, and 73.3% of the isolates showed resistance against 7–10 different antimicrobials. Several national and international studies reported very high MDR isolates (80%–100%), which are similar to our findings from chicken [ 23 , 43 , 45 ], indicating that there is a high persistence of MDR organisms in our food chain. In alignment, previously detected high MDR-APEC prevalence (100%) in other food chain studies in migratory birds [ 65 ] are strong evidence of possible transmission of MDR organisms in our food chain system, which is perilous.…”

“…They were unable to achieve MIC values and were labor-intensive and time-consuming. These results may be more surprising [ 23 ] than broth microdilution. HiMedia, a manufacturer of low-potency disks, exhibited significant quality issues with 33% of readings being outside the normal range and surprising variations in inhibition zone sizes (4–9 mm) for disks contained in the same vial [ 63 ].…”

“…In Nepal, 46% of veterinary drugs are sold without prescription, and 12% are based on farmers’ demand [ 22 ]. This is linked to population growth, changing food habits with increased chicken consumption, and poor antibiotic stewardship [ 23 ]. Moreover, these compounds are commonly used as growth promoters in poultry farms [ 19 , 24 ].…”

High Prevalence of multidrug resistant common foodborne bacteria in raw beef and ready-to-eat samples from Dhaka City Corporations, Bangladesh

“…Shigella spp. samples in Dhaka are consistent with previous research conducted in other countries(Angkititrakul et al, 2013;Bodhidatta et al, 2013;Hossain et al, 2022;Paudyal et al, 2017). There are very few data on such studies in Bangladesh, though some studies were performed on chicken and frozen meat(Uddin et al, 2019).…”

Identification of antibiotic‐resistant pathogens and virulence genes in Escherichia coli isolates from food samples in the Dhaka University campus of Bangladesh

“…Focusing on the microbiological aspect of food, the presence of E. coli may indicate poor and unhygienic food handling and fecal contamination. Therefore, the detection of E. coli and its virulence properties is an important consideration while assessing the microbiological quality of food (Hossain et al., 2023 ; Sherikar & Bachhi, 2011 ). Furthermore, the presence of pathogens, including E. coli , in food could be attributable to cross‐contamination, temperature abuse, and unhygienic food handling, which are important aspects of food safety (Todd et al., 2010 ).…”