Abstract
We report a high prevalence of MCR-1 and CTX-M-1-producing Escherichia coli in three Tunisian chicken farms. Chickens were imported from France or derived from French imported chicks. The same IncHI2-type plasmid reported to carry those genes in cattle in France and in a food sample in Portugal was found in Tunisian chickens of French origin. This suggests a significant impact of food animal trade on the spread of mcr-1-mediated colistin resistance in Europe.
Highlights
Horizontal transfer was found to play a major role in the spread of colistin resistance in Enterobacteriaceae when a plasmid-located mcr-1 gene was reported to be circulating in livestock, foodstuff and human beings in China in late 2015 [1]
Tse et al reported mcr-1 on an IncHI2-type plasmid in a Salmonella enterica isolate from a food sample in Portugal in 2011 [5]
IncHI2-type plasmids were recognised to spread blaCTX-M-1 and mcr-1 in E. coli in food animals in France [6]. These data suggest a specific epidemiology of mcr-1 plasmids in the European animal reservoir that pose a risk for humans. This prompted us to investigate 37 E. coli strains recovered from 29 Tunisian chickens imported from France or derived from French imported chicks and harbouring resistance to colistin and broad-spectrum cephalosporins
Summary
Impact of food animal trade on the spread of mcr-1mediated colistin resistance, Tunisia, July 2015. The same IncHI2-type plasmid reported to carry those genes in cattle in France and in a food sample in Portugal was found in Tunisian chickens of French origin. This suggests a significant impact of food animal trade on the spread of mcr-1-mediated colistin resistance in Europe. These data suggest a specific epidemiology of mcr-1 plasmids in the European animal reservoir that pose a risk for humans This prompted us to investigate 37 E. coli strains recovered from 29 Tunisian chickens imported from France or derived from French imported chicks and harbouring resistance to colistin and broad-spectrum cephalosporins. Isolates from farm A presented two closely related but not identical XbaI pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns (one band difference) belonging to cluster G, while isolates from farm B presented two distinct patterns belonging to the clusters F and K (Figure 1)
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