Detection of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL)-Producing <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> from Diseased Broiler Chickens in Lusaka District, Zambia

• Main Authors: Chikwanda Chileshe (Author), Misheck Shawa (Author), Nelson Phiri (Author), Joseph Ndebe (Author), Cynthia Sipho Khumalo (Author), Chie Nakajima (Author), Masahiro Kajihara (Author), Hideaki Higashi (Author), Hirofumi Sawa (Author), Yasuhiko Suzuki (Author), Walter Muleya (Author), Bernard Mudenda Hang'ombe (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2024-03-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Poultry products in Zambia form an integral part of the human diet in many households, as they are cheap and easy to produce. The burden of poultry diseases has, however, remained a major challenge. Growing consumer demand for poultry products in Zambia has resulted in non-prudent antimicrobial use on farms, intending to prevent and treat poultry diseases for growth optimisation and maximising profits. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify the different types of bacteria causing diseases in chickens in Lusaka and to detect the extended-spectrum lactamase (ESBL)-encoding genes. We collected 215 samples from 91 diseased chickens at three post-mortem facilities and screened them for Gram-negative bacteria. Of these samples, 103 tested positive for various clinically relevant <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i>, including <i>Enterobacter</i> (43/103, 41.7%), <i>Escherichia coli</i> (20/103, 19.4%), <i>Salmonella</i> (10/103, 9.7%), and <i>Shigella</i> (8/103, 7.8%). Other isolated bacteria included <i>Yersinia</i>, <i>Morganella</i>, <i>Proteus</i>, and <i>Klebsiella</i>, which accounted for 21.4%. <i>E. coli</i>, <i>Enterobacter</i>, <i>Salmonella,</i> and <i>Shigella</i> were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The results revealed that <i>E. coli</i>, <i>Enterobacter</i>, and <i>Shigella</i> were highly resistant to tetracycline, ampicillin, amoxicillin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, while <i>Salmonella</i> showed complete susceptibility to all tested antibiotics. The observed resistance patterns correlated with antimicrobial usage estimated from sales data from a large-scale wholesale and retail company. Six (6/14, 42.9%) <i>E. coli</i> isolates tested positive for <i>bla</i>_CTX-M, whilst eight (8/14, 57.1%) <i>Enterobacter</i> samples tested positive for <i>bla</i>_TEM. Interestingly, four (4/6, 66.7%) of the <i>E. coli</i> isolates carrying <i>bla</i>_CTX-M-positive strains were also positive for <i>bla</i>_TEM. Sanger sequencing of the PCR products revealed that five (5/6, 83.3%) of the abovementioned isolates possessed the <i>bla</i>_CTX-M-15 allele. The results suggest the presence of potentially pathogenic ESBL-producing <i>Enterobacteriaceae</i> in poultry, threatening public health.

Item Description

10.3390/antibiotics13030259
2079-6382