RESUMO
Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) has been identified as a sub-group of extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC). Recent studies indicate APEC as a potential foodborne zoonotic pathogen and a source or reservoir of human extraintestinal infections. The slaughtering and processing of poultry in low-income countries such as Jordan occurs in two distinct ways: in informal facilities known as Natafat and in formal slaughterhouses. This study compared E. coli phenotypes and genotypes according to slaughtering conditions (formal slaughterhouses vs. informal slaughter facilities). Therefore, liver samples (n = 242) were collected from formal (n = 121) and informal slaughter facilities (n = 121). Results revealed a high prevalence (94.2%) of E. coli among all isolates, with 59 (17 formal and 42 informal) isolates considered avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) based on the virulence-associated genes. The prevalence of resistance among isolates was relatively high, reaching up to 99% against penicillin and 97% against nalidixic acid. However, the prevalence of resistance was the lowest (1.3%) against both meropenem and imipenem. Based on the MIC test findings, colistin resistance was 46.9% (107/228). The mcr -1 gene prevalence was 51.4% (55/107), of which 17.1 % were from formal plants (6/36) and 68.1% from informal facilities (49/72). Interestingly, only one isolate (0.9%) expressed mcr-10. Escherichia coli O157:H7 and associated virulence genes were found more in informal (n = 15 genes) than in formal slaughterhouses (n = 8). Phylogroups B1, C, and A were the most frequent in 228 E. coli isolates, while G, B2, and clade were the least frequent. In conclusion, these findings highlight the importance of implementing biosecurity measures in slaughterhouses to reduce antibiotic-resistant E. coli spread. Furthermore, this study provides valuable insights into the effects of wet market (Natafat) slaughter conditions on increasing bacterial resistance and virulence.
RESUMO
Campylobacter is the world's leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis, causing nearly 9 million cases of food poisoning in Europe every year. Poultry is considered the main source of Campylobacter infection to humans. The objectives of the study were to determine occurrence of C. jejuni and C. coli in chickens, the antimicrobial resistance, genotypes, and relatedness of the isolates. A total of 177 chicken samples obtained from informal butcher shops (fresh), formal poultry slaughterhouses (refrigerated) and retail market (frozen) were analyzed. Isolation of Campylobacter spp. was conducted according to the ISO 10272-2006 method. Multiplex PCR was used for confirmation and identification of the isolates. The disk diffusion method was used to determine the antimicrobial resistance of the isolates and multilocus sequence typing was used for genotyping. The proportion of samples with Campylobacter spp. was 31.6% among all chicken samples (fresh and refrigerated 47.5%, frozen 0%) C. coli was isolated from 42.4% of chicken samples obtained from butcher shops and from 18.6% of samples obtained in formal slaughterhouses. C. jejuni was isolated from 17.0% of samples obtained in butcher shops and formal slaughterhouses. Campylobacter spp. was not isolated in frozen chicken samples. All tested isolates showed resistance toward ciprofloxacin and susceptibility toward imipenem and all of the isolates were multidrug resistant toward 5 or more antimicrobials. Three sequence types were identified among 10 C. coli isolates and seven sequence types were identified among 10 C. jejuni isolates. Among sequence types, chicken isolates shared similarities of both phenotypic and genetic levels.