Escherichia coli from healthy farm animals: Antimicrobial resistance, resistance genes and mobile genetic elements

The use of antibiotics in agriculture and subsequent environmental pollution are associated with the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria including Escherichia coli. The aim of this study was to detect antimicrobial resistance, resistance genes and mobile genetic elements of 72 E. coli strains isolated from faeces of healthy farm animals. Disk diffusion test showed resistance to ampicillin (59.7%), tetracycline (48.6%), chloramphenicol (16.7%), cefoperazone and ceftriaxone (13.9%), cefepime and aztreonam (12.5%), norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin (8.3%), levofloxacin (6.9%), gentamicin and amikacin (2.8%) among the studied strains. Antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were detected by polymerase chain reaction: the prevalence of blaTEM was the highest (59.7% of all strains), followed by tetA (30.6%), blaCTX-M (11.1%), catA1 (9.7%), less than 5% strains contained blaSHV, cmlA, floR, qnrB, qnrS, tetM. 26.4% of E. coli strains had a MDR phenotype. MDR E. coli more often contained class 1 integrons, bacteriophages, conjugative F-like plasmids, than non-MDR strains. ARGs were successfully transferred from faecal E. coli strains into the E. coli Nissle 1917 N4i strain by conjugation. Conjugation frequencies varied from (1.0 ± 0.1) * 10-5 to (7.9 ± 2.6) * 10-4 per recipient. Monitoring mobile genetic elements of E. coli for antibiotic resistance is important for farm animal health, as well as for public health and food safety.