AUTHOR=Ortega-Paredes David , de Janon Sofía , Villavicencio Fernando , Ruales Katherine Jaramillo , De La Torre Kenny , Villacís José E. , Wagenaar Jaap A. , Matheu Jorge , Bravo-Vallejo Camila , Fernández-Moreira Esteban , Vinueza-Burgos Christian 

TITLE=Broiler Farms and Carcasses Are an Important Reservoir of Multi-Drug Resistant Escherichia coli in Ecuador

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.547843

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2020.547843

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p>Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major health threat for public and animal health in the twenty-first century. In Ecuador, antibiotics have been used by the poultry industry for decades resulting in the presence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria in the poultry meat production chain, with the consequent risk for public health. This study evaluated the prevalence of ESBL/AmpC and <italic>mcr</italic> genes in third-generation cephalosporin-resistant <italic>Escherichia coli</italic> (3GC-R <italic>E. coli</italic>) isolated from broiler farms (animal component), broiler carcasses (food component), and human enteritis (human component) in Quito-Ecuador. Samples were collected weekly from November 2017 to November 2018. For the animal, food, and human components, 133, 335, and 302 samples were analyzed, respectively. Profiles of antimicrobial resistance were analyzed by an automated microdilution system. Resistance genes were studied by PCR and Sanger sequencing. From all samples, 122 (91.7%), 258 (77%), and 146 (48.3%) samples were positive for 3GC-R <italic>E. coli</italic> in the animal, food, and human components, respectively. Most of the isolates (472/526, 89.7%) presented MDR phenotypes. The ESBL <italic>bla</italic><sub>CTX-<italic>M-</italic>55</sub>, <italic>bla</italic><sub>CTX-<italic>M-</italic>3</sub>, <italic>bla</italic><sub>CTX-<italic>M-</italic>15</sub>, <italic>bla</italic><sub>CTX-<italic>M-</italic>65</sub>, <italic>bla</italic><sub>CTX-<italic>M-</italic>27</sub>, and <italic>bla</italic><sub>CTX-<italic>M-</italic>14</sub> were the most prevalent ESBL genes while <italic>bla</italic><sub>CMY-2</sub> was the only AmpC detected gene. The <italic>mcr</italic>-1 gene was found in 20 (16.4%), 26 (10.1%), and 3 (2.1%) of isolates from animal, food, and human components, respectively. The implication of poultry products in the prevalence of ESBL/AmpC and <italic>mcr</italic> genes in 3GC-R must be considered in the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance.</p>