Antimicrobial Resistance of Enterococcus Species Isolated from Chicken in Turkey

Antibiogram profile of Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium in chicken meat from supermarkets in Sleman District, Indonesia

Background and Aim

Enterococci are commensal bacteria in the digestive tract of poultry and serve as indicators of fecal contamination. Their significance in veterinary and human medicine arises from their ability to acquire antibiotic-resistance genes, posing a potential public health risk. Poultry meat, a major protein source in Indonesia, can act as a reservoir for Enterococcus species, transferring antibiotic-resistant strains to humans through food handling. Despite rigorous hygiene standards in supermarket supply chains, limited studies have assessed contamination levels. This study aimed to identify Enterococcus species from supermarket chicken meat in Sleman District, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and evaluate their antibiotic resistance profiles.

Materials and Methods

Chicken breast samples were randomly collected from three Supermarkets (A, B, and C). Bacterial isolation was performed using buffered peptone water and enterococcosel agar. Presumptive colonies were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction for genus and species identification. Antibiotic susceptibility was assessed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method against ampicillin (AMP), tetracycline (TET), erythromycin (ERY), and vancomycin (VAN).

Results

A total of 269 Enterococcus isolates were confirmed, including 163 Enterococcus faecium (EFM), 92 Enterococcus faecalis (EFS), and 14 other Enterococcus species. Resistance to AMP, TET, and ERY in EFM was 12.12%, 57.57%, and 66.67%, respectively, while resistance in EFS was 4.54%, 31.82%, and 63.63%. No isolates showed resistance to VAN. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 60.60% of EFM and 36.36% of EFS isolates.

Conclusion

Despite high susceptibility to AMP and VAN, resistance to TET and ERY was prevalent. The presence of MDR isolates underscores the need for continuous surveillance of antibiotic resistance in Enterococcus species within the food chain. This study highlights the necessity of further research with expanded sampling and antibiotic panels to assess the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes and potential public health risks.

Emergence of multi-drug-resistant, vancomycin-resistant, and multi-virulent Enterococcus species from chicken, dairy, and human samples in Egypt

AIMS

The present study aimed to detect the frequency of vancomycin resistance and virulence genes' profiles of multi-drug-resistant (MDR) enterococcal isolates from different sources and to investigate the sequence heterogeneity between the esp genes of MDR and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis isolates from chicken and human sources.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Conventional phenotypic methods identified 91 isolates (60.7%) as Enterococcus species, and these isolates were retrieved from dairy (37/52), chicken (35/54), and human (19/44) origins. Enterococcal isolates were frequently resistant to rifampin (67%), and 38.5% of the isolates were MDR. Of the 22 vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) detected isolates, 11 (50%), 9 (41%), 1 (4.5%), and 1 (4.5%) isolate were identified as E. faecium, E. faecalis, E. casseliflavus, and un-specified Enterococcus spp., respectively. Moreover, 22 (100%) and 19 (86.4%) isolates harbored vanA and vanB genes, respectively. Of note, gelE and asa1 genes were more prevalent among the tested isolates (95.5% each), and the multi-virulence criteria were detected among 68.2% of the examined isolates. The sequences of esp genes of E. faecalis from the chicken breast meat and human urine samples were 100% identical with other esp genes and pathogenicity islands on GeneBank, which is undesirable.

CONCLUSION

Our findings require strict hygienic measures during the processing of chickens and their by-products to minimize the possibility of transmission of virulent enterococcal strains. Furthermore, the use of antimicrobials in poultry and animal production in developing countries should be controlled to minimize the prevalence of MDR and VRE isolates in humans.

Assessment of prevalence, antibiotic resistance, and virulence profiles of biofilm-forming Enterococcus faecalis isolated from raw seafood in Bangladesh

Enterococcus faecalis are often resistant to different classes of antibiotics, harbor virulence determinants, and produce biofilm. The presence of E. faecalis in raw seafood exhibits serious public health significance. This study aimed to identify antibiotic resistance patterns and virulence factors in biofilm-forming E. faecalis strains extracted from seafood in Bangladesh. A total of 150 samples of raw seafood, comprising 50 shrimps, 25 crabs, and 75 fish, were collected and subjected to culturing, biochemical, and PCR assays to detect E. faecalis. The biofilm-forming abilities of the isolates were determined by Congo Red agar (CRA) plate and Crystal Violet Micro-titer Plate (CVMP) tests. Antibiotic resistance profiles were evaluated using the disk diffusion method. Virulence genes of the isolates were detected by PCR assay. The occurrence of E. faecalis was 29.3 % (44/150), which was higher in crabs and fish (36 %) than in shrimps (16 %). In CRA and CVMP tests, biofilm-forming abilities were observed in 88.64 % of the isolates, whereas 11 (25 %) and 28 (63.6 %) were strong- and intermediate-biofilm formers, respectively. All the isolates contained at least two virulence genes, including pil and ace (97.7 %), sprE (95.5 %), gelE (90.9 %), fsrB (79.6 %), agg (70.5 %), fsrA (68.2 %), and fsrC (61.4 %). All the isolates were phenotypically resistant to penicillin, followed by ampicillin and rifampicin (86.4 %), erythromycin (13.7 %), and tetracycline, vancomycin, norfloxacin, and linezolid (2.3 %). Resistant gene bla TEM was found in 61.4 % of the isolates. Moreover, the study found that E. faecalis strains with strong biofilm-forming capabilities had significantly higher levels of virulence genes and antibiotic resistance (p < 0.05) compared to those with intermediate and/or no biofilm-forming abilities. To the best of our knowledge, this research represents the first instance in Bangladesh of assessing antibiotic resistance and identifying virulence genes in biofilm-forming E. faecalis strains isolated from seafood samples. Our study revealed that seafood is a carrier of antibiotic-resistant, virulent, and biofilm-forming E. faecalis, demonstrating a potential public health threat.

Evaluation of Safety and Probiotic Potential of Enterococcus faecalis MG5206 and Enterococcus faecium MG5232 Isolated from Kimchi, a Korean Fermented Cabbage

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the genotypic and phenotypic toxicity of Enterococcus faecalis MG5206 and Enterococcus faecium MG5232 isolated from kimchi (fermented vegetable cabbage). In this study, the genotypic toxicity of the strains MG5206 and MG5232 was identified through whole-genome sequencing analysis, and phenotypic virulence, such as susceptibility to antibiotics, hemolytic activity, and gelatinase and hyaluronidase activities, was also evaluated. In addition, the in vivo toxicity of both strains was evaluated using an acute oral administration test in Sprague–Dawley rats. In all the tests, both the strains were determined to be safety by confirming that they did not show antibiotic resistance or virulence factors. In addition, these strains exhibited a low level of autoaggregation ability (37.2–66.3%) and hydrophobicity, as well as a high survival rate in gastrointestinal condition in vitro. Therefore, the safety and high gastrointestinal viability of E. faecalis MG5206 and E. faecium MG5232 suggests that both the strains could be utilized in food as potential probiotics in the future.