Multidrug-Resistant Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Diarrhoeic Calves, Milk, and Workers in Dairy Farms: A Potential Public Health Risk

Ibrahim E Eldesoukey; Walid Elmonir; Abdulaziz Alouffi; Eman I M Beleta; Mohamed A Kelany; Shimaa Samir Elnahriry; Mohammed Ibrahim Alghonaim; Zeyad Abdullah alZeyadi; Haitham Elaadli

doi:10.3390/antibiotics11080999

Multidrug-Resistant Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Diarrhoeic Calves, Milk, and Workers in Dairy Farms: A Potential Public Health Risk

Antibiotics (Basel). 2022 Jul 25;11(8):999. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11080999.

Authors

Ibrahim E Eldesoukey¹, Walid Elmonir², Abdulaziz Alouffi³, Eman I M Beleta⁴, Mohamed A Kelany⁵, Shimaa Samir Elnahriry⁶, Mohammed Ibrahim Alghonaim⁷, Zeyad Abdullah alZeyadi⁸, Haitham Elaadli⁹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Bacteriology, Mycology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt.
² Department of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine (Zoonoses), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt.
³ King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh 12354, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Brucellosis Research, Animal Health Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Giza 12618, Egypt.
⁵ Department of Microbiology, The Central Laboratory of Residue Analysis of Pesticides and Heavy Metals in Food, Agricultural Research Center, Giza 12311, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Bacteriology, Mycology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sadat City, Sadat City 32897, Egypt.
⁷ Department of Biology, College of Science, Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, Riyadh 11623, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Shaqra University, Dawadmi 11961, Saudi Arabia.
⁹ Department of Animal Hygiene and Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria 22758, Egypt.

Abstract

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a leading cause of diarrhoeagenic diseases in humans and cattle worldwide. The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) EPEC from cattle sources is a public health concern. A total of 240 samples (75 diarrhoeic calves, 150 milk samples, and 15 workers) were examined for prevalence of EPEC in three dairy farms in Egypt. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) traits were determined by antibiogram and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of β-lactamase-encoding genes, plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes, and carbapenemase-encoding genes. The genetic relatedness of the isolates was assessed using repetitive extragenic palindromic sequence-based PCR (REP-PCR). EPEC isolates were detected in 22.7% (17/75) of diarrhoeic calves, 5.3% (8/150) of milk samples, and 20% (3/15) of worker samples. The detected serovars were O26 (5%), O111 (3.3%), O124 (1.6%), O126 (0.8%), and O55 (0.8%). AMR-EPEC (harbouring any AMR gene) was detected in 9.2% of samples. Among isolates, bla_TEM was the most detected gene (39.3%), followed by bla_SHV (32.1%) and bla_CTX-M-1 (25%). The qnrA, qnrB, and qnrS genes were detected in 21.4%, 10.7%, and 7.1% of isolates, respectively. The bla_VIM gene was detected in 14.3% of isolates. All EPEC (100%) isolates were MDR. High resistance rates were reported for ampicillin (100%), tetracycline (89.3%), cefazolin (71%), and ciprofloxacin (64.3%). Three O26 isolates and two O111 isolates showed the highest multiple-antibiotic resistance (MAR) indices (0.85-0.92); these isolates harboured bla_SHV-12 and bla_CTX-M-15 genes, respectively. REP-PCR genotyping showed high genetic diversity of EPEC, although isolates belonging to the same serotype or farm were clustered together. Two worker isolates (O111 and O26) showed high genetic similarity (80-95%) with diarrhoeic calf isolates of matched serotypes/farms. This may highlight potential inter-species transmission within the farm. This study highlights the potential high risk of cattle (especially diarrhoeic calves) as disseminators of MDR-EPEC and/or their AMR genes in the study area. Prohibition of non-prescribed use of antibiotics in dairy farms in Egypt is strongly warranted.

Keywords: EPEC; Egypt; antimicrobial resistance; diarrhoeic calves; milk; worker.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.