Transferable Antibiotic Resistances in Marketed Edible Grasshoppers (Locusta migratoria migratorioides)

Abstract

Grasshoppers are the most commonly eaten insects by humans worldwide, as they are rich in proteins and micronutrients. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of transferable antibiotic resistance genes in commercialized edible grasshoppers. To this end, the prevalence of 12 selected genes [aac(6')-Ie aph(2″)-Ia, blaZ, erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), mecA, tet(M), tet(O), tet(S), tet(K), vanA, vanB] coding for resistance to antibiotics conventionally used in clinical practice was determined. The majority of samples were positive for tet(M) (70.0%), tet(K) (83.3%) and blaZ (83.3%). A low percentage of samples were positive for erm(B) (16.7%), erm(C) (26.7%), and aac(6')-Ie aph(2″)-Ia (13.3%), whereas no samples were positive for erm(A), vanA, vanB, tet(O), and mecA. Cluster analysis identified 4 main clusters, allowing a separation of samples on the basis of their country of origin.

Investigating Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Marketed Ready‐to‐Eat Small Crickets (Acheta domesticus)

“…Regarding Enterobacteriaceae, the sporadic occurrence of viable counts above 1 log cfu/g was in accordance with values previously detected in ready‐to‐eat mealworms and grasshoppers commercialized in the EU (Osimani et al., , ).…”

“…The average load of this microbial group was similar to that reported by Osimani et al. (, ) for the same microorganisms in ready‐to‐eat mealworms and grasshoppers marketed in the EU.…”

“…Anticontamination precautions also included the preparation of PCR mixtures in a workstation with a UV source (DNA/RNA UV‐Cleaner UVC/T‐M‐AR, Biosan, Riga, Latvia) and physical separation of pre‐PCR and post‐PCR activities, as suggested by Borst et al. () and successfully adopted in our laboratory (Garofalo et al., ; Milanović et al., ; Osimani et al., ).…”

“…The genes under study were selected among those having the highest risk levels, based on the likelihood of their introduction into human pathogens, and the relative consequences of such an event on human health (Martinez, Coque, & Baquero, ). In fact, these genes are widespread among both commensal bacteria (Aarts & Margolles, ) and human pathogens typically found in food‐producing animals, aquaculture, fruits, vegetables (Rolain, ), and even edible insects (Milanović et al., ; Osimani et al., , , ; Vandeweyer et al., ). In the present study, the bacterial DNA directly extracted from insects was subjected to optimized polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested‐PCR assays for the qualitative detection of the selected AR genes.…”

Tetracycline Resistance Genes Identified from Distinct Soil Environments in China by Functional Metagenomics

“…Growing evidences implicated that the resistance genes were transmitted between environmental bacteria and pathogens via horizontal gene transfer (Forsberg et al, 2012; Rolain, 2013). Besides, numerous resistance genes have been detected in different kinds of food (Aquilanti et al, 2007; Osimani et al, 2017), and the diet is one of the main route for the entrance of antibiotic resistance genes and bacteria within the humans (Wang et al, 2012; Rolain, 2013). Worse still, the exchange of antibiotic resistance genes has also been found from soil to food-producing animals (Wang et al, 2017).…”