Prevalence of multidrug-resistant and extended-spectrum β–lactamase-producing Escherichia coli from chicken farms in Egypt

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli strains exhibit antibiotic resistance and are known to infect humans worldwide. This study assessed the phenotypic and genotypic prevalence of ESBL-resistant E. coli isolates recovered from the respiratory tracts of chickens in El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We obtained 250 lung samples (one lung/bird) from 50 chicken farms (5 chickens/farm) to isolate, identify, and serotype E. coli. Antimicrobial resistance susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion method, while the ESBL phenotype was identified using double disk synergy. We detected the β-lactamase genes, blaTEM, and blaSHV, using a polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The results showed that 140/250 (56%) were infected with E. coli. All the serogroups of isolated E. coli exhibited high multi-antimicrobial resistance index values (>0.2), and 65.7% were confirmed to have ESBL. Among the isolates with the ESBL phenotypes, 55 (60%) and 32 (35%) contained the blaTEM and blaSHV genes, respectively. CONCLUSION: The widespread distribution of multidrug-resistant and ESBL-producing E. coli among poultry farms is a significant human health hazard. These results will help the Egyptian authorities to implement a national one-health approach to combat the antimicrobial resistance problem.