Phenotypic antimicrobial resistance structure among Enterobacterales circulating at the turkey-environment interface in a small-scale poultry production system
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Updated: Oct 31, 2026

Isolation and Identification of Waterborne Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and Molecular Characterization of their Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Published on: March 3, 2023
Alex Yauyo1, Alejandra Castro1, Brenda Ayzanoa2
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Lima, Peru.
Introduction:
Antimicrobial resistance is a major One Health challenge affecting human, animal, and environmental health. Poultry production systems may contribute to the maintenance and dissemination of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Enterobacterales through interactions among animals and their environment. Conventional analytical approaches may have limited capacity to characterize the complexity of phenotypic resistance profiles. This study aimed to characterize phenotypic antimicrobial resistance patterns and explore resistance clustering among Enterobacterales isolated from turkeys and their production environment in Lima, Peru.
Methods:
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using Enterobacterales recovered from cloacal swabs and environmental samples collected in a small-scale poultry production system. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method; intermediate results were classified as susceptible for analytical purposes. Multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) combined with k-means clustering was applied to explore the multivariate structure of phenotypic resistance profiles.
Results:
A total of 50 Enterobacterales isolates were recovered from cloacal swabs (n = 38; 76.0%) and environmental samples (n = 12; 24.0%). Predominant species included Escherichia coli (n = 39; 78.0%), followed by Klebsiella spp. (n = 7; 14.0%) and Citrobacter spp. (n = 4; 8.0%). All isolates were classified as MDR. The most frequent resistance profile included kanamycin, tetracycline, neomycin, cefuroxime, and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. One E. coli isolate exhibited resistance to 18 antimicrobials, while a Citrobacter spp. isolate recovered from the environment showed resistance to 17 antimicrobials, including imipenem. MCA revealed a structured distribution of resistance phenotypes, with the first two dimensions explaining 45.3% of the total inertia and identifying three clusters with distinct resistance spectra. One cluster contained all carbapenem-resistant isolates and exhibited the broadest resistance profile.
Discussion:
These findings highlight the circulation of heterogeneous MDR populations and support surveillance strategies in poultry production environments.
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