Molecular characterization and antimicrobial resistance of potentially human\u2010pathogenic Escherichia coli strains isolated from riding horses

Pouya Reshadi,Fatemeh Heydari,Mohadese Amiri,Mahboube Bagheri,Mahdi Askari Badouei,Shademan Sahraei,Hesam Alizade,Reza Ghanbarpour,Maziar Jajarmi,Nasrin Adib

doi:10.1186/s12917-021-02832-x

Abstract

BackgroundTransmission of antimicrobial resistant and virulent Escherichia coli (E. coli) from animal to human has been considered as a public health concern. This study aimed to determine the phylogenetic background and prevalence of diarrheagenic E. coli and antimicrobial resistance in healthy riding-horses in Iran. In this research, the genes related to six main pathotypes of E. coli were screened. Also, genotypic and phenotypic antimicrobial resistance against commonly used antibiotics were studied, then phylo-grouping was performed on all the isolates.ResultsOut of 65 analyzed isolates, 29.23 % (n = 19) were determined as STEC and 6.15 % (n = 4) as potential EPEC. The most prevalent antimicrobial resistance phenotypes were against amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (46.2 %) and ceftriaxone (38.5 %). blaTEM was the most detected resistance gene (98.4 %) among the isolates and 26.15 % of the E. coli isolates were determined as multi-drug resistant (MDR). Three phylo-types including B1 (76.92 %), A (13.85 %) and D (3.08 %) were detected among the isolates.ConclusionsDue to the close interaction of horses and humans, these findings would place emphasis on the pathogenic and zoonotic potential of the equine strains and may help to design antimicrobial resistance stewardship programs to control the dissemination of virulent and multi-drug resistant E. coli strains in the community.

Highlights

Transmission of antimicrobial resistant and virulent Escherichia coli (E. coli) from animal to human has been considered as a public health concern
The most prevalent antimicrobial resistance phenotype was against the two β-lactam antibiotics, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (46.2 %) and ceftriaxone (38.5 %), and the other antimicrobial resistance (AR) phenotypes were observed in less than 25 % of the E. coli isolates
Ruminants are considered as the primary reservoir of the intestinal pathotypes; equids are not the main source of Shiga toxinproducing E. coli (STEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and they are known as spillover hosts, the secondary species host exposed to the STEC through close contact with ruminants or feeding materials contaminated with ruminant manure [21]

Summary

Introduction

Transmission of antimicrobial resistant and virulent Escherichia coli (E. coli) from animal to human has been considered as a public health concern. This study aimed to determine the phylogenetic background and prevalence of diarrheagenic E. coli and antimicrobial resistance in healthy riding-horses in Iran. Horses as companion animals could be considered as a potential reservoir of microbial agents which cause infections and complications in various hosts such as human. Among these microorganisms, some strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) possess antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and virulence determinants which could be transmitted by direct or indirect contact [2]. A major group of E. coli strains, designated as diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC), cause intestinal infections [3]. According to the pathogenesis of DECs, they are divided into six main pathotypes including enterotoxigenic E

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