Multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolated from farm environments and retail products in Oklahoma

J Food Prot. 2005 Oct;68(10):2022-9. doi: 10.4315/0362-028x-68.10.2022.

Abstract

Multidrug-resistant enteric bacteria were isolated from turkey, cattle, and chicken farms and retail meat products in Oklahoma. Among the isolated species, multidrug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae was prevalently isolated from most of the collected samples. Therefore, a total of 132 isolates of K. pneumoniae were characterized to understand their potential roles in the dissemination of antibiotic-resistance genes in the food chains. Multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae was most frequently recovered from a turkey farm and ground turkey products among the tested samples. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, streptomycin, gentamycin, and kanamycin. Class 1 integrons located in plasmids were identified as a common carrier of the aadA1 gene, encoding resistance to streptomycin and spectinomycin. Production of beta-lactamase in the K. pneumoniae isolates played a major role in the resistance to beta-lactam agents. Most isolates (96%) possessed bla(SHV1). Five strains were able to express both SHV-11 (pI 6.2) and TEM-1 (pI 5.2) beta-lactamase. Transfer of these antibiotic-resistance genes to Escherichia coli was demonstrated by transconjugation. The bacterial genomic DNA restriction patterns by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed that the same clones of multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae remained in feathers, feed, feces, and drinking water in turkey environments, indicating the possible dissemination of antibiotic-resistance genes in the ecosystem and cross-contamination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria during processing and distribution of products.

MeSH terms

  • Animal Husbandry / methods
  • Animal Husbandry / standards
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Base Sequence
  • Cattle / microbiology
  • Chickens / microbiology
  • Colony Count, Microbial
  • Conjugation, Genetic
  • Consumer Product Safety
  • DNA, Bacterial / analysis
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial
  • Food Contamination / analysis*
  • Food Handling / methods
  • Food Handling / standards
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae / drug effects*
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae / enzymology
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae / genetics*
  • Meat / microbiology*
  • Meat Products / microbiology
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Oklahoma
  • Plasmids
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Turkeys / microbiology
  • beta-Lactam Resistance
  • beta-Lactamases / metabolism

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • beta-Lactamases