Antibiotial resistance pattern and prevalence of some extende-spectrum beta-lactamase genes in Escherichia coli isolated from turkey

Production of beta-lactamase enzyme in bacteria, especially in Escherichia coli, which is considered a common opportunistic pathogen, has caused so many problems for the treatment of diseases. This enzyme will cause the resistance to penicillin and a wide range of cephalosporins. The present research aimed to study resistance to antibacterial compounds and the frequency of blaCTX-M and blaTEM genes in E. coli isolated from randomly selected turkeys. Cloacal swab samples were provided and then they were cultured and 60 isolates of E. coli were prepared. To assess the resistance of isolated bacteria to antimicrobials, the disc diffusion method was used with nine antimicrobial paper discs, including: gentamycin, tetracycline, colistin, co-trimoxazole, norfloxacin, cefuroxime, ampicillin, neomycin, and amoxicillin. To determine the frequency of blaCTX-M and blaTEM genes, the genome of isolated bacteria was extracted using a boiling method and then it was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The results of this study showed that E. coli isolated from turkeys present the highest drug resistance to ampicillin (100%). The lowest drug resistance was related to gentamycin and norfloxacin (5%). The findings also indicated that the frequency of blaCTX-M and blaTEM genes among E. coli isolated from turkeys was equal to 23.3% and 16.6%, respectively. This study revealed the high incidence of drug resistance patterns and extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) among
E. coli strains isolated from turkeys. Therefore, food animals, like turkeys, can serve as a reservoir of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and may play a role to ESBLs transmission from poultry to human.