ESBL-Producing, Carbapenem- and Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Escherichia coli in Belgian and Dutch Broiler and Pig Farms: A Cross-Sectional and Cross-Border Study
Koster, Sien De; Ringenier, Moniek; Lammens, Christine; Stegeman, Arjan; Tobias, Tijs; Velkers, Francisca; Vernooij, Hans; Bergh, Marjolein Kluytmans-van den; Kluytmans, Jan; Dewulf, Jeroen; Goossens, Herman
(2021) Antibiotics, volume 10, issue 8, pp. 1 - 14
(Article)
Abstract
Background. The use of antibiotics in food production selects for resistant bacteria and may cause a threat to human and animal health. Belgium and the Netherlands have one of the highest densities of broilers and pigs in Europe, making active monitoring of antibiotic use and resistance in this region vital.
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Objectives. This study aimed to quantify ESBL-producing (ESBL-E. coli), carbapenem- and ciprofloxacin-resistant (CiproR) Escherichia coli in animal feces on broiler and pig farms with a history of high antibiotic use in Belgium and the Netherlands. Methods. A total of 779 broiler and 817 pig fecal samples, collected from 29 conventional broiler and 31 multiplier pig farms in the cross-border region of Belgium and the Netherlands, were screened for the presence of antibiotic-resistant E. coli using selective culturing. Results. Carbapenem-resistant E. coli were not detected. ESBL-E. coli were remarkably more prevalent in samples from Belgian than Dutch farms. However, CiproR-E. coli were highly prevalent in broilers of both countries. The percentage of samples with ESBL- and CiproR-E. coli was lower in pig compared to poultry farms and varied between farms. No clear association with the on-farm antibiotic use in the year preceding sampling was observed. Multidrug resistance was frequently observed in samples from both countries, but ESBL-production in combination with ciprofloxacin resistance was higher in samples from Belgium. Conclusions. This study demonstrated marked differences in antibiotic resistance between countries, farms and within farms. The observed variation cannot be explained straightforward by prior quantity of antibiotic use suggesting that it results from more complex interactions that warrant further investigation.
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Keywords: Antibiotic resistance, Antibiotic use, Broilers, Escherichia coli, Pigs, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics(all), Microbiology (medical), Infectious Diseases, Pharmacology (medical)
ISSN: 2079-6382
Publisher: MDPI AG
Note: Funding Information: Funding: The i-4-1-Health project was financed by the Interreg V Flanders-The Netherlands program, the cross-border cooperation program with financial support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (0215). Additional financial support was received from the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (325911), the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs (DGNR-RRE/14191181), the Province of Noord-Brabant (PROJ-00715/PROJ-01018/PROJ-00758), the Belgian Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (no reference), the Province of Antwerp (1564470690117/1564470610014) and the Province of East-Flanders (E01/subsidie/VLNL/i-4-1-Health).The authors are free to publish the results from the project without interference from the funding bodies. Selective and non-selective agar plates, Etests and Vitek2 AST cards were provided by bioMérieux; FecalSwabs and tryptic soy broths were provided by Copan. The authors were free to publish the results from the project without interference by bioMérieux or Copan. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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