Prevalence of antibiotic-resistant and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing escherichia coli in chicken meat from Eastern Turkey

Abstract

This study examined the antimicrobial resistance of 105 Escherichia coli isolates from broiler meat obtained from supermarkets in Erzurum, Turkey. Antimicrobial resistance profile of the isolates was done as proposed by the Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute. Multiplex PCR was used for the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and determination of the phylogenetic groups in the isolates. The results showed that resistance to penicillin was the highest (97%), while resistance to carbapenems was not observed in any isolates. A high percentage (94.29%) of multidrug-resistant isolates was observed. A total of 43 (52.14%) E. coli isolates was determined to be positive for ESBL. ESBL-producing E. coli isolates predominantly carried genes of the CTX-M class (28/43, 65.12%), followed by the TEM (26/43, 60.47%) and SHV (1/43, 2.33%) classes. The prevalence of CTX-M class isolates belonging to the CTX-M-1, CTX-M-9, CTX-M-2, and CTX-M-8/25 groups was 41.86, 16.28, 9.3, and 9.3%, respectively. The phylogenetic groups B1 (37.21%) and A0 (23.26%) were the most frequently detected. These findings show that raw chicken meat sold in Erzurum is highly contaminated with antibiotic-resistant E. coli, including ESBL-producing E. coli, which poses a serious risk for human health.