Frequency of Pseudomonas's Antibiotic Resistance and Virulence Genes in Poultry Meat

Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be transmitted to humans through food and cause infection. This bacterium is a Gram-negative bacillus. Septicemia, significant financial losses in poultry production and respiratory diseases in humans are the complications of P. aeruginosa infection.

This study assessed the antibiotic resistance, and distribution of virulence factors in poultry meat. Multiplex PCR used to investigate the distribution of exo T3SS genes in P. aeruginosa.

Bacteriological examination was performed on the 417 samples collected from poultry meat. The disc diffusion technique was employed to test antimicrobial susceptibility. The genetic pattern and distribution of antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes of the isolates were studied. The T3SS genes (exo T, Y, S and U) were amplified by multiplex PCR with specific primers.

P. aeruginosa was found in 153 out of 417 (36.69%) examined samples. Penicillin had the highest resistance rate (100%), tetracycline (96.07%), gentamicin (81.69%) and streptomycin (70.58%). The antibiotic resistance genes with the most common detection were bla_TEM (93.46%), bla_SHV (19.60%) and bla_DHA (18.95%). The virulence factor with the highest detection rate was nanI (69.28%), plcH (48.36%), plcN (37.90%), pilA (32.67%), phzM (32.02%), toxA (31.37%). The frequency T3SS genes (exoT, Y, S and U) of P. aeruginosa isolates were 100%, 97.38%, 94.77% and 73.85%, respectively.

In the present study, P. aeruginosa recovered from poultry meat is a very dangerous bacterium that can be transmitted to humans through food. Bacterium is resistant to most therapeutic agents and shows a pattern of multidrug resistance. It is considered very dangerous in the food industry and the consumption of poultry meat, as well as for public health.