Antimicrobial resistance in Escherichia coli isolated in wastewater and sludge from poultry slaughterhouse wastewater plants.* Escherichia coli Escherichia coli (ĕsh'ərĭk`ēə kō`lī), common bacterium that normally inhabits the intestinal tracts of humans and animals, but can cause infection in other parts of the body, especially the urinary tract. is a major pathogen in commercially produced poultry. * It contributes significantly to economic losses in both chickens and turkeys. * It also inhabits the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and animals. * Surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in avian E. coli E. coli: see Escherichia coli. E. coli in full Escherichia coli Species of bacterium that inhabits the stomach and intestines. E. coli can be transmitted by water, milk, food, or flies and other insects. has triple benefits: 1. it generates data that support treatment strategies for commercial poultry; 2. it offers an "early warning system" with respect to the drug resistance of zoonotic Zoonotic A disease which can be spread from animals to humans. Mentioned in: Zoonosis bacteria (e.g., Salmonella and Campylobacter Campylobacter Genus of gram-negative spiral-shaped bacteria infecting mammals. Many species, especially C. fetus, cause miscarriage in sheep and cattle. C. jejuni is a common cause of food poisoning. Sources include meats (particularly chicken) and unpasteurized milk. ); and 3. it helps assess possible human health consequences. * Multiresistant nonpathogenic E. coli may transfer their resistance to intestinal bacteria in humans. * Their presence in humans may increase the frequency and duration of infections and hospitalizations. * Drug-resistant avian E. coli may be transferred to humans either through direct contact or, more frequently, through consumption of poultry meat. * There has not been much documentation of the presence of such bacteria in wastewater and sludge from poultry slaughterhouses. * Wastewater treatment plants are designed mainly to retain solids. * The quantity and quality of microbiota Microbiota (human) Microbial flora harbored by normal, healthy individuals. A number of microorganisms have become adapted to a particular site or ecologic niche in or on their host. released into waterways and soils are rarely monitored. * From these poultry wastes, E. coli may find ways of spreading to humans. * They could spread directly, through drinking water or recreational contact. * Or they could spread indirectly, through consumption of meat and vegetables. * The authors' study collected samples from the wastewater treatment plants of eight Portuguese poultry slaughterhouses. * Six slaughterhouses handled conventional broilers, and two handled free-range broilers. * A total of 549 E. coli strains were recovered. * They were tested for resistance to 12 antimicrobial agents. * Multidrug resistance was present in 55.7 percent of the isolates. * 80.7 percent of the isolates were resistant to tetracycline tetracycline (tĕ'trəsī`klēn), any of a group of antibiotics produced by bacteria of the genus Streptomyces. They are effective against a wide range of Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria, interfering with protein . * 56.5 percent were resistant to ampicillin ampicillin (ăm'pĭsĭl`ĭn), a penicillin-type antibiotic that is effective against both gram-negative microorganisms and gram-positive microorganisms such as Escherichia coli. . * 47.5 were resistant to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. * 39.2 percent were resistant to streptomycin streptomycin (strĕp'tōmī`sĭn), antibiotic produced by soil bacteria of the genus Streptomyces and active against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria (see Gram's stain), including species resistant to other . * 18.4 percent were resistant to enrofloxacin. * Resistance rates were higher in the facilities that handled conventional broilers. * Wastewater treatment resulted in an E. coli decrease of between 0.5 log and 3 log. * Nevertheless, an average of 5.2 x [10.sup.5] CFUs/100 mL were present in the outflow of the plants. * These data indicate that the use of antimicrobials in poultry production leads to the selection of a large pool of resistance genes. * They also show that wastewater treatment processes are unable to inactivate in·ac·ti·vate v. 1. To render nonfunctional. 2. To make quiescent. in·ac  ti·va the bacteria.
* As a result, antimicrobial-resistant E. coli are being disseminated into the environment. |
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