Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases in E. coli of Rats in the Region North East of Gabon

Richard Onanga; Pierre Philippe Mbehang Nguema; Guy Roger Ndong Atome; Arsène Mabika Mabika; Berthelemy Ngoubangoye; Wed Leslie Komba Tonda; Jean Constant Obague Mbeang; Jacques Lebibi

doi:10.1155/2020/5163493

Prevalence of Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases in E. coli of Rats in the Region North East of Gabon

Vet Med Int. 2020 Jul 18:2020:5163493. doi: 10.1155/2020/5163493. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Richard Onanga¹, Pierre Philippe Mbehang Nguema^{1

2}, Guy Roger Ndong Atome³, Arsène Mabika Mabika¹, Berthelemy Ngoubangoye¹, Wed Leslie Komba Tonda³, Jean Constant Obague Mbeang², Jacques Lebibi⁴

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Bacteriology, International Medical Research Center of Franceville, P.O. Box 769, Franceville, Gabon.
² Laboratory of Research in Biochemistry, University of Science and Technology of Masuku, P.O. Box 913, Franceville, Gabon.
³ Research Institute for Tropicale Ecology, Libreville, Gabon.
⁴ Regional Graduate School of Tropical Infectious Diseases in Central Africa Franceville, P.O. Box 876, Franceville, Gabon.

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance occurs in the environment by multiplication and the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria that would be due to an improper and incorrect use of antibiotics in human and veterinary medicine. The aim of this study was to establish the prevalence of E.coli producing Extended-Spectrum beta-Lactamase (ESBL) antibiotics from rats and gregarious animals in a semirural area of Gabon and to evaluate the origin of a resistance distribution in the environment from animal feces. The bacterial culture was carried out, and the identification of E. coli strains on a specific medium and the antibiotic susceptibility tests allowed establishing the prevalence. Characterization of resistance genes was performed by gene amplification after DNA extraction. On 161 feces collected in rats, 32 strains were isolated, and 11 strains of E. coli produced ESBL with a prevalence of 34.37%. Molecular tests showed that CTX-M genes 214 bp were identified in rats. The presence of CTX-M genes could have a human origin. So, the rats can carry ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae which poses a risk to human health and pets in this region of Gabon.