Escherichia coli are one of the most important pathogenic bacteria readily found in the livestock and widely studied as an indicator that carries drug-resistant genes between humans, animals, and the environment. The use of antimicrobials in the food chain, particularly in food-producing animals, is recognized as a significant contributor to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and resistance genes can be transferred from the farm through the food-chain. The objective of this review is to highlight the background of the antimicrobials use in food-producing animals, more specifically, to study clonal lineages and the resistance profiles observed in E. coli, as well as in extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) producing E. coli, in a set of food-production animals with greater relevance in food consumption, such as pigs, poultry, cattle, fish farming and rabbits. Regarding the prevalence of ESBL-producing E. coli among farm animals, high-to-moderate prevalence was observed, and the highest resistance rates to tetracycline and ampicillin was detected in different farms in all geographic regions. Worldwide pandemic clones and high-risk zoonotic E. coli clones have been identified in most food-producing animals, and some of these clones are already disseminated in different niches, such as the environment and humans. A better understanding of the epidemiology of E. coli and ESBL-producing E. coli in livestock is urgently needed. Animal production is one of the major causes of the antibiotic resistance problem worldwide and a One Health approach is needed.
Keywords: ESBLs; Escherichia coli; antimicrobial resistance; clonal lineages; livestock animals.