Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is presently one of the most public health critical concerns. The frequent and often incorrect use of antibiotics in animal husbandry has led to the spread of antimicrobial resistance in this setting. Wastewater from slaughterhouses can be contaminated with multidrug-resistant bacteria, representing a possible cross-contamination route. We evaluated the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wastewater samples from slaughterhouses located in an Italian region. Specifically, 18 slaughterhouses were included in the study. Of the tested samples, 40 bacterial strains were chosen, identified, and tested for antibiotic susceptibility. Pseudomonas spp., Proteus spp., Enterobacter spp., Aeromonas spp., and Citrobacter spp. were the most detected genera. The most resistant strains were on average those belonging to Enterobacter spp. The highest resistance rate was recorded for macrolides. Among β-lactams, penicillins and cephalosporins were by far the molecules towards which the highest resistance was detected. A very interesting finding is the difference found in strains detected in wastewater from poultry slaughterhouses, in which higher levels for almost all the considered drugs were detected compared to those from ungulates slaughterhouses. Our results indicate wastewater from slaughterhouses as a potential vehicle of resistant bacteria and highlight the importance of correct management of these kinds of waters.
Highlights
Global development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) have become a crucial concern in public health [1]
The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wastewater collected from some slaughterhouses present in the territory of Sicily, a region of southern Italy, in order to highlight the real risk represented by these important settings in the spread and diffusion of antibiotic resistance
Our results indicate slaughterhouse wastewater as a potential vehicle of antibioticresistant bacteria and a possible environmental contamination route
Summary
Global development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) have become a crucial concern in public health [1]. In order to counteract this hazard, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a prioritization list of the most important antimicrobial-resistant bacteria to address the research and development of novel drugs [3]. Within this list, the group of the so-called. The common and often inappropriate use of antibiotics as therapeutics and growth promoters in animal husbandry has led to the increase in and spread of antimicrobial resistance in livestock-associated bacteria with even the development of novel resistances (e.g., mobile colistin resistance genes) and of cross-resistances to drugs routinely used in human medicine with possible antibiotic treatment failure [10,11,12,13]
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