Risk factors for the abundance of antimicrobial resistance genes aph(3')-III, erm(B), sul2 and tet(W) in pig and broiler faeces in nine European countries
Yang, Dongsheng; Heederik, Dick J J; Mevius, Dik J; Scherpenisse, Peter; Luiken, Roosmarijn E C; Van Gompel, Liese; Skarżyńska, Magdalena; Wadepohl, Katharina; Chauvin, Claire; Van Heijnsbergen, Eri; Wouters, Inge M; Greve, Gerdit D; Jongerius-Gortemaker, Betty G M; Tersteeg-Zijderveld, Monique; Zając, Magdalena; Wasyl, Dariusz; Juraschek, Katharina; Fischer, Jennie; Wagenaar, Jaap A; Smit, Lidwien A M; Schmitt, Heike
(2022) Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, volume 77, issue 4, pp. 969 - 978
(Article)
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The occurrence and zoonotic potential of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in pigs and broilers has been studied intensively in past decades. Here, we describe AMR levels of European pig and broiler farms and determine the potential risk factors. METHODS: We collected faeces from 181 pig farms and 181 broiler farms
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in nine European countries. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to quantify the relative abundance of four antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) [aph(3')-III, erm(B), sul2 and tet(W)] in these faeces samples. Information on antimicrobial use (AMU) and other farm characteristics was collected through a questionnaire. A mixed model using country and farm as random effects was performed to evaluate the relationship of AMR with AMU and other farm characteristics. The correlation between individual qPCR data and previously published pooled metagenomic data was evaluated. Variance component analysis was conducted to assess the variance contribution of all factors. RESULTS: The highest abundance of ARG was for tet(W) in pig faeces and erm(B) in broiler faeces. In addition to the significant positive association between corresponding ARG and AMU levels, we also found on-farm biosecurity measures were associated with relative ARG abundance in both pigs and broilers. Between-country and between-farm variation can partially be explained by AMU. Different ARG targets may have different sample size requirements to represent the overall farm level precisely. CONCLUSIONS: qPCR is an efficient tool for targeted assessment of AMR in livestock-related samples. The AMR variation between samples was mainly contributed to by between-country, between-farm and within-farm differences, and then by on-farm AMU.
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Keywords: Animals, Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology, Anti-Infective Agents/pharmacology, Chickens, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Farms, Feces, Risk Factors, Swine
ISSN: 0305-7453
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Note: Funding Information: This work was part of the Ecology from Farm to Fork Of microbial drug Resistance and Transmission (EFFORT) project, which is co-funded by the European Commission, 7th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP7-KBBE-2013-7; grant agreement: 613754). Research at the National Veterinary Research Institute (PIWet), Poland, was supported by the Polish Ministry of Science: No. 3173/7PR/2014/2. D.Y. was also funded by the China Scholarships Council (No. 201709110149). Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
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