Prevalence and Molecular Characterization of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases and AmpC β-lactamase-Producing <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> among Human, Cattle, and Poultry

• Published in: Pathogens
• Main Authors: Mohamed A. Nossair, Fatma A. Abd El Baqy, Mohammad S. Y. Rizk, Haitham Elaadli, Alaa M. Mansour, Ayman H. Abd El-Aziz, Adil Alkhedaide, Mohamed Mohamed Soliman, Hazem Ramadan, Mustafa Shukry, Sabah I. Shaaban
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2022-07-01
• Subjects: ESBL; AmpC; <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i>; Egypt
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/8/852
• ISSN: 2076-0817

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> are a universal public health alarm frequently identified among humans, animals, and poultry. Livestock and poultry production are a possible source of multidrug-resistant microorganisms, including ESBL-producing <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i>, which confer antimicrobial resistance to different β-lactam antimicrobial agents. From January to May 2020, a cross-sectional study was carried out in three dairy cattle farms and four poultry farms in different districts of northern Egypt to assess the prevalence of ESBLs, AmpC beta-lactamase-producing <i>E. coli</i> and <i>Klebsiella</i> in livestock, poultry, and human contacts, and to investigate the genetic relatedness of the recovered isolates. In total, 140 samples were collected, including human fecal samples (n = 20) of workers with intimate livestock contact, cattle rectal swabs (n = 34), milk (n = 14), milking machine swabs (n = 8), rations (n = 2), and water (n = 2) from different cattle farms, as well as cloacal swabs (n = 45), rations (n = 5), water (n = 5) and litter (n = 5) from poultry farms. The specimens were investigated for ESBL-producing <i>E. coli</i> and <i>Klebsiella</i> using HiCrome ESBL media agar. The agar disk diffusion method characterized the isolated strains for their phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility. The prevalence of ESBL-producing <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> was 30.0%, 20.0%, and 25.0% in humans, cattle, and poultry, respectively. Further genotypic characterization was performed using conventional and multiplex PCR assays for the molecular identification of ESBL and AmpC genes. The majority of the ESBL-producing <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> showed a multi-drug resistant phenotype. Additionally, <i>bla</i><b>_SHV</b> was the predominant ESBL genotype (n = 31; 93.94%), and was mainly identified in humans (n = 6), cattle (n = 11), and poultry (14); its existence in various reservoirs is a concern, and highlights the necessity of the development of definite control strategies to limit the abuse of antimicrobial agents.