Prevalence, risk factors and emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing-, carbapenem- and colistin-resistant Enterobacterales isolated from wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Tunisia

Rachid Selmi; Ghassan Tayh; Sinda Srairi; Aymen Mamlouk; Faten Ben Chehida; Samia Lahmar; Mongi Bouslama; Monia Daaloul-Jedidi; Lilia Messadi

doi:10.1016/j.micpath.2021.105385

Prevalence, risk factors and emergence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase producing-, carbapenem- and colistin-resistant Enterobacterales isolated from wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Tunisia

Microb Pathog. 2022 Feb:163:105385. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.105385. Epub 2022 Jan 4.

Authors

Rachid Selmi¹, Ghassan Tayh², Sinda Srairi², Aymen Mamlouk², Faten Ben Chehida², Samia Lahmar³, Mongi Bouslama⁴, Monia Daaloul-Jedidi², Lilia Messadi⁵

Affiliations

¹ Service de Microbiologie et Immunologie, Ecole Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet. Université de la Manouba, Tunisia; Ministère de la Défense Nationale, Direction Générale de la Santé Militaire, Service Vétérinaire, Tunis, Tunisia.
² Service de Microbiologie et Immunologie, Ecole Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet. Université de la Manouba, Tunisia.
³ Service de Parasitologie, Ecole Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet. Université de la Manouba, Tunisia.
⁴ Veterinary practitioner, Hammamet, Tunisia.
⁵ Service de Microbiologie et Immunologie, Ecole Nationale de Médecine Vétérinaire de Sidi Thabet. Université de la Manouba, Tunisia. Electronic address: lilia_messadi@yahoo.fr.

PMID: 34995748
DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.105385

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognized as an emerging and growing public health problem worldwide. In Tunisia, knowledge is still limited to domestic animals and humans, and only few data are available regarding the role of wildlife. This research determined the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of Beta-lactamase producing Gram-negative bacteria isolated from the faeces of 110 wild boars (Sus scrofa) in northern Tunisia. Fecal samples, obtained post mortem from boar carcasses, were cultured on MacConkey agar and MacConkey agar containing 2 mg/L of cefotaxime. A total of 102 Enterobacterales isolates were identified from 94(85%) fecal samples. Escherichia coli (56, 54%), Citrobacter freundii (14, 13%), Klebsiella oxytoca (11, 10%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (7, 6%) were the most predominantly identified Enterobacterales. However, Pantoea spp. (4, 4%), Enterobacter spp. (3,3%), Enterobacter cloacae (1, 1%), Enterobacter gergoviae (2, 2%), Proteus mirabilis (2, 2%), Yersinia sp. (1, 1%), and Citrobacter diversus (1, 1%) were rarely identified. Antimicrobial susceptibility tests revealed that 55% (57/102) of the identified strains were multidrug resistant (MDR). A total of 30% (31/102) of the tested isolates were recognized as Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL)-producing strains and blaCTX-M-G1, blaTEM, blaSHV β-lactamases were the main encoding genes revealed. Furthermore, identified isolates showed a high level of AMR, especially for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (77.67%), ticarcillin-clavulanic acid (71.85%), streptomycin (76.69%), amoxicillin (75.73%), and cephalotin (74.76%). Alarming levels of resistance to colistin (2.9%) and ertapenem (9.7%) were revealed and confirmed by the detection of mcr-1, and bla_IMP and bla_VIM genes, respectively. Various phenotypes of AMR were obtained in this study highlighting the important role of wild boars as hosts and even carriers for several resistant Enterobacterales isolates. This may represents a focal risk factor allowing the transmission of these strains between domestic, wild animals, environment and humans.

Keywords: ESBL; Enterobacterales; IMP/VIM metallo-β-Lactamase; Tunisia; Wild boar; mcr-1 gene.

MeSH terms

Animals
Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
Carbapenems*
Colistin* / pharmacology
Humans
Prevalence
Risk Factors
Sus scrofa
Swine
Tunisia / epidemiology
beta-Lactamases / genetics

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Carbapenems
beta-Lactamases
Colistin