Antibiotic susceptibility and resistance genes in Escherichia coli from broilers reared in a low-antibiotic-use production system - PubMed
4 hours ago
- #Escherichia coli
- #Broiler production
- #Antimicrobial resistance
- Study investigated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Escherichia coli from Swedish broiler flocks under low-antibiotic-use conditions.
- Two types of E. coli isolates were studied: clinical (from liver samples of broilers with colibacillosis) and non-clinical (from boot sock samples of healthy flocks).
- Overall resistance was low, with all isolates susceptible to 9 out of 15 tested antibiotics.
- Resistance was significantly higher in non-clinical isolates compared to clinical ones, correlated with AMR genes or mutations.
- 93.7% of clinical isolates were fully susceptible to all tested antibiotics, versus 49.5% of non-clinical isolates.
- Highest resistance rates in non-clinical isolates were against ampicillin (34%), sulfamethoxazole (32.1%), and trimethoprim (28.4%).
- Findings suggest factors beyond direct antibiotic use, like horizontal gene transfer and environmental contamination, contribute to AMR dissemination.
- Non-clinical isolates may act as reservoirs of resistance genes, highlighting the need to monitor commensal E. coli and farm environments.