Urszula Kosikowska
Medical University of Lublin, Poland
Title: Antibiotic resistance of Enterococcus faecalis isolated from the hearts of broiler chickens
Biography
Biography: Urszula Kosikowska
Abstract
Antibiotic-resistant Enterococcus faecalis present in poultry can pose hazard health serving as the risk of transmitting these strains to humans. The aim of the study was to provide data on antimicrobial resistance in E. faecalis isolated from the hearts of broiler chickens, aged from 3 to 6 weeks. 57 isolates of E. faecalis were investigated. First, the isolated bacteria were identified using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (Bruker Daltonics, Germany). Then, the identification was confirmed by genus- and species-specific multiplex PCR. Susceptibility testing was carried out to determine sensitivity to vancomycin and ampicillin (0.125-64 µg/ml), gentamicin (2-1024 µg/ml), kanamycin and streptomycin (4-2048 µg/ml), erythromycin and tetracycline (0.25-128 µg/ml), ciprofloxacin, lincomycin and chloramphenicol (0.5-256 µg/ml) using the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) assessment. Resistance to two or more antibiotic agents was demonstrated. High resistance (>50%) was shown in the isolates including resistance to lincomycin (100%), tetracycline (63.2%), erythromycin (54.4%) and gentamicin (52.6%). Furthermore, high-level aminoglycoside (gentamicin - 1.8%, kanamycin - 1.8%, streptomycin - 5.3%) resistance was noted. Resistance to ciprofloxacin (21.1%) and chloramphenicol (8.8%) was classified as low (<25%). Moreover, a certain percentage of isolates exhibited intermediate sensitivity, particularly to gentamicin (36.8%), erythromycin (29.8%), and ciprofloxacin (19.3%). Vancomycin and ampicillin resistant isolates were not detected.