Off-label use of ceftiofur in one-day chicks triggers a short-term increase of ESBL-producing E. coli in the gut

Mauro M S Saraiva; Alexandre L B Moreira Filho; Oliveiro C Freitas Neto; Núbia M V Silva; Patrícia E N Givisiez; Wondwossen A Gebreyes; Celso J B Oliveira

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0203158

Off-label use of ceftiofur in one-day chicks triggers a short-term increase of ESBL-producing E. coli in the gut

PLoS One. 2018 Sep 11;13(9):e0203158. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203158. eCollection 2018.

Authors

Mauro M S Saraiva¹, Alexandre L B Moreira Filho^{1

2}, Oliveiro C Freitas Neto³, Núbia M V Silva¹, Patrícia E N Givisiez¹, Wondwossen A Gebreyes^{4

5}, Celso J B Oliveira^{1

2

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Science, Center for Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba (CCA/UFPB), Areia, Paraíba, Brazil.
² National Institute for Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (INPRA), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
³ Department of Veterinary Sciences, Center for Agricultural Sciences, Federal University of Paraiba (CCA/UFPB), Areia, Paraíba, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.
⁵ Global One Health Initiative (GOHi), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America.

Abstract

This trial was designed to evaluate the off-label use of ceftiofur with Marek's vaccine in one-day-old broiler chicks, a prophylactic treatment that has been done in some commercial hatcheries, on the emergence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Escherichia coli (ESBL-E. coli). A total of 168 chicks (Cobb500®) were used in a completely randomized design. Birds were assigned to two treatments (Marek's vaccine plus saline vs Marek's vaccine plus ceftiofur) and six repetitions, with 14 animals each. Cloacal swabs were collected from 1 to 14 days post-hatch. The majority (86%; p<0.0001) of the ESBL-producing isolates harboring blaCTX-M and blaSHV genes originated from animals receiving the antimicrobial. None of the isolates were positive for plasmid-mediated AmpC betalactamase genes (blaACC, blaCMY-2, blaDHA, blaFOX, blaMOX and blaMIR). These findings indicate that the off-label use of ceftiofur with Marek's vaccine is associated with the short-term increase in ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in the gut of chicks.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Animals, Newborn
Anti-Bacterial Agents / administration & dosage
Anti-Bacterial Agents / adverse effects*
Bacterial Proteins / biosynthesis
Bacterial Proteins / genetics
Cephalosporins / administration & dosage
Cephalosporins / adverse effects*
Chickens
Escherichia coli / enzymology*
Escherichia coli / genetics
Escherichia coli / isolation & purification
Gastrointestinal Microbiome / genetics
Genes, Bacterial
Marek Disease Vaccines / administration & dosage
Off-Label Use / veterinary*
beta-Lactam Resistance / genetics
beta-Lactamases / biosynthesis
beta-Lactamases / genetics

Substances

Anti-Bacterial Agents
Bacterial Proteins
Cephalosporins
Marek Disease Vaccines
ceftiofur
AmpC beta-lactamases
beta-Lactamases

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES; https://www.capes.gov.br/) that provided scholarships to graduate students (MMSS) and post-docs (ALBMF, NMVS). This study was also granted by The Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq: http://cnpq.br/in-english-summary) (CJBO) and The Institute of International Education / Global Innovation Initiative / S-ECAGD-13-CA 149 DT (IIE: https://www.iie.org/) (WAG). The project has been conceptualized, written and submitted during CJBO and PENG time as visiting scholars at the Department of Animal Science of The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under senior fellowship grants from CAPES (BEX 1910/14-0 and BEX 1853/14-7, respectively).