Poultry hatcheries as potential reservoirs for antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli: A risk to public health and food safety

Abstract

Hatcheries have the power to spread antimicrobial resistant (AMR) pathogens through the poultry value chain because of their central position in the poultry production chain. Currently, no information is available about the presence of AMR Escherichia coli strains and the antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) they harbor within hatchezries. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the possible involvement of hatcheries in harboring hemolytic AMR E. coli. Serotyping of the 65 isolated hemolytic E. coli revealed 15 serotypes with the ability to produce moderate biofilms, and shared susceptibility to cephradine and fosfomycin and resistance to spectinomycin. The most common β-lactam resistance gene was blaTEM, followed by blaOXA-1, blaMOX-like, blaCIT-like, blaSHV and blaFOX. Hierarchical clustering of E. coli isolates based on their phenotypic and genotypic profiles revealed separation of the majority of isolates from hatchlings and the hatchery environments, suggesting that hatchling and environmental isolates may have different origins. The high frequency of β-lactam resistance genes in AMR E. coli from chick hatchlings indicates that hatcheries may be a reservoir of AMR E. coli and can be a major contributor to the increased environmental burden of ARGs posing an eminent threat to poultry and human health.

Host Range-Associated Clustering Based on Multilocus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis, Phylotypes, and Virulence Genes of Atypical Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains

“…NA resistance was most common, along with TE, AM, C, SXT, and CIP, while most of the strains were sensitive to CZ, AMC, CRO, and FOX. Similar findings of common resistance to NA, TE, AM, SXT, and CIP among E. coli isolates from avian origin and other food animals have been reported by many researchers from China (44), Egypt (45), France (46), Bangladesh (47), and Japan (19). Although phylogroups D and B2 were related to higher drug resistance patterns in previous reports (48), we did not find any B2 strains in poultry.…”

“…Indeed, the genes of virulence group I (lpfA, lpfAR141, lpfA0113, ureD, nleE, and efa1), which have a significant association with diarrhea (10), were negatively correlated with or unrelated to antibiotic resistance. There was no negative correlation among the antibiotics in aEPEC in this study, although we performed the analysis according to the method of Osman et al (45), who found a negative correlation between gentamicin and amoxicillin in Bacillus spp. in Egypt (45).…”

Antimicrobial Resistance on Farms: A Review Including Biosecurity and the Potential Role of Disinfectants in Resistance Selection

“…A collection of pathogenic E. coli isolated from colibacillosis cases in Italy between 2008 and 2010 (when third‐generation cephalosporins were still used prophylactically in day‐old chicks) showed diverse ESBL or AmpC‐bearing plasmids on a background of multiresistance, in 8% of isolates (Niero et al., ), consistent with multiple introductions or selection events. A similar but far more marked picture of extended‐spectrum cephalosporin resistance plus multiple other resistances was seen in E. coli isolates from Egyptian hatcheries (Osman et al., ).…”

“…A collection of pathogenic E. coli isolated from colibacillosis cases in Italy between 2008 and 2010 (when third-generation cephalosporins were still used prophylactically in day-old chicks) showed diverse ESBL or AmpC-bearing plasmids on a background of multiresistance, in 8% of isolates (Niero et al, 2018), consistent with multiple introductions or selection events. A similar but far more marked picture of extended-spectrum cephalosporin resistance plus multiple other resistances was seen in E. coli isolates from Egyptian hatcheries (Osman et al, 2018). A study of enteric gram-negative bacteria (mostly E. coli) shed by suckler calves in the United States revealed that over 90% of calves were colonized by ESBL-expressing organisms in their first year, despite no use of subtherapeutic antimicrobials in the herd and no prior use of therapeutic antimicrobials in the calves (Mir et al, 2018).…”

“…In field conditions, biofilms may have a major role to play in bacterial survival of C&D procedures. One study showed hatchery environmental isolates of E. coli to have superior biofilm characteristics compared with contemporaneous meconium isolates (Osman et al, 2018). Biofilms are comprised of an extracellular matrix that provides a diffusion barrier and an enhanced medium for bacterial signaling and genetic exchange, in addition to being a potential site for neutralization or binding of disinfectants: enzymes degrading triclosan, chlorhexidine, and some oxidizing agents, among others, are known to occur within biofilms (Bridier, Briandet, Thomas, & Dubois-Brissonnet, 2011;Gilbert, Allison, & McBain, 2002;Maillard et al, 2013;Morente et al, 2013;Tumah, 2009).…”