High Prevalence of ESBL and Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance Genes in <i>Salmonella enterica</i> Isolated from Retail Meats and Slaughterhouses in Egypt

• Main Authors: Wesam A. Adel, Ashraf M. Ahmed, Yamen Hegazy, Helmy A. Torky, Tadashi Shimamoto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Antibiotics
• Subjects: antimicrobial resistance; Africa; AmpC; food safety; plasmids
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/10/7/881

The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant <i>Salmonella enterica</i> (<i>S. enterica</i>) to humans through food of animal origin are considered a major global public health concern. Currently, little is known about the prevalence of important antimicrobial resistance genes in <i>S. enterica</i> from retail food in Africa. Therefore, the screening and characterization of the extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes in <i>S. enterica</i> isolated from retail meats and slaughterhouses in Egypt were done by using PCR and DNA sequencing techniques. Twenty-eight out of thirty-four (82.4%) non-duplicate <i>S. enterica</i> isolates showed multidrug-resistance phenotypes to at least three classes of antimicrobials, and fourteen (41.2%) exhibited an ESBL-resistance phenotype and harbored at least one ESBL-encoding gene. The identified β-lactamase-encoding genes included <i>bla</i>_CTX-M-1, <i>bla</i>_CTX-M-3, <i>bla</i>_CTX-M-13, <i>bla</i>_CTX-M-14, <i>bla</i>_CTX-M-15, and <i>bla</i>_SHV-12 (ESBL types); <i>bla</i>_CMY-2 (AmpC type); and <i>bla</i>_TEM-1 and <i>bla</i>_OXA-1 (narrow-spectrum types). PMQR genes (included <i>qnrA</i>, <i>qnrB</i>, <i>qnrS</i>, and <i>aac(6′)-Ib-cr</i>) were identified in 23 (67.6%) isolates. The presence of ESBL- and PMQR-producing <i>S. enterica</i> with a high prevalence rate in retail meats and slaughterhouses is considered a major threat to public health as these strains with resistance genes could be transmitted to humans through the food chain.