Escherichia coli is a common commensal bacterial species of humans and animals that may become a troublesome pathogen causing serious diseases. The aim of this study was to characterize the quinolone resistance phenotypes and genotypes in E. coli isolates of different origin from one area of the Czech Republic. E. coli isolates were obtained from hospitalized patients and outpatients, chicken farms, retailed turkeys, rooks wintering in the area and wastewaters. Susceptibility of the isolates grown on the MacConkey agar with ciprofloxacin (0.05 mg/L) to 23 antimicrobial agents was determined. The presence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) and ESBL genes was tested by PCR and sequencing. Specific mutations in gyrA, gyrB, parC and parE were also examined. Multilocus sequence typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis were performed to assess the clonal relationship. In total, 1050 E. coli isolates were obtained, including 303 isolates from humans, 156 from chickens, 105 from turkeys, 114 from the rooks and 372 from wastewater samples. PMQR genes were detected in 262 (25%) isolates. The highest occurrence was observed in isolates from retailed turkey (49% of the isolates were positive) and inpatients (32%). The qnrS1 gene was the most common PMQR determinant identified in 146 (56%) followed by aac(6´)-Ib-cr in 77 (29%), qnrB19 in 41 (16%) and qnrB1 in 9 (3%) isolates. All isolates with high level of ciprofloxacin resistance (>32 mg/L) carried double or triple mutations in gyrA combined with single or double mutations in parC. The most frequently identified substitutions were Ser(83)Leu; Asp(87)Asn in GyrA, together with Ser(80)Ile or Glu(84)Val in ParC. Majority of these isolates showed resistance to beta-lactams and multiresistance phenotype was found in 95% isolates. Forty-eight different sequence types among 144 isolates analyzed were found, including five major clones ST131 (26), ST355 (19), ST48 (13), ST95 (10) and ST10 (5). No isolates sharing 100% relatedness and originating from different areas were identified. In conclusion, our study identified PMQR genes in E. coli isolates in all areas studied, including highly virulent multiresistant clones such as ST131 producing CTX-M-15 beta-lactamase.

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Characteristics of Quinolone Resistance in Escherichia coli Isolates from Humans, Animals, and the Environment in the Czech Republic

The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistances is now a worldwide problem Investigating the mechanisms by which pets harboring resistant strains may receive and/or transfer resistance determinants is essential to better understanding how owners and pets can interact safely Here, we characterized the genetic determinants conferring resistance to β-lactams and quinolones in 38 multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from fecal samples of dogs, through PCR and sequencing The most frequent genotype included the β-lactamase groups TEM (n=5), and both TEM+CTX-M-1 (n=5) Within the CTX-M group, we identified the genes CTX-M-32, CTX-M-1, CTX-M-15, CTX-M-55/79, CTX-M-14 and CTX-M-2/44 Thirty isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin presented two mutations in the gyrA gene and one or two mutations in the parC gene A mutation in gyrA (reported here for the first time), due to a transversion and transition (TCG→GTG) originating a substitution of a serine by a valine in position 83 was also detected The plasmid-encoded quinolone resistance gene, qnrs1, was detected in three isolates Dogs can be a reservoir of genetic determinants conferring antimicrobial resistance and thus may play an important role in the spread of antimicrobial resistance to humans and other co-habitant animals

Molecular characterization of quinolone resistance mechanisms and extended-spectrum β-lactamase production in Escherichia coli isolated from dogs.

This study describes comparative occurrence and characterization of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) in healthy cattle (HC) and cattle with diarrhea (DC) in India. During 2018-2020, 72 MDR isolates, including 35 E. coli (DC: 27; HC 8) and 37 K. pneumoniae (DC: 34; HC: 3), from 251 rectal swabs (DC: 219; HC: 32) were investigated for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL), AmpC type β-lactamase and carbapenemase production, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, biofilm production, and efflux pump activity. Fifty-five MDR isolates were ESBL producers (ESBLPs) (DC: 50; HC: 5) and ESBLPs from DC were coresistant to multiple antibiotics. The blaCTX-M gene (50) was the most frequently detected β-lactamases followed by blaAmpC (22), blaTEM1 (13), blaCMY-6 (6), blaOXA1 (5), blaPER (2), blaDHA, and blaFOX and blaSHV12 (1 each). Plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinants qnrB, qnrS, qnrA, and qepA were detected in 18, 16, 2, and 3 isolates, respectively. Twenty three isolates revealed mutation in gyrA and parC genes. Tetracycline-resistance markers tetA, tetB, tetC, and tetE were detected in 33, 10, 3, and 2 isolates, respectively. Only one of the 41 imipenem-resistant isolates harbored blaNDM-5 and two were colistin-resistant. Altogether, 20 MDR isolates were strong biofilm producers and 19 harbored different virulence factors. This is the first ever report from India on the presence of MDR Enterobacteriaceae with resistance to even last-resort antimicrobials in the bovine diarrhea.

Characterization of Multidrug-Resistant Biofilm-Producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae in Healthy Cattle and Cattle with Diarrhea.

Subclinical mastitis in dairy cows in south-Asian countries: a review of risk factors and etiology to prioritize control measures

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Invited review: Antimicrobial resistance in bovine mastitis pathogens: A review of genetic determinants and prevalence of resistance in European countries.

Aim The present study was undertaken to characterize the mutation in gyrA (DNA gyrase) and parC (topoisomerase IV) genes responsible for fluoroquinolone resistance in Escherichia coli isolates associated with the bovine mastitis. Materials and methods A total of 92 milk samples from bovine mastitis cases were sampled in and around Puducherry (Southern India). Among these samples, 30 isolates were bacteriologically characterized as E. coli. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of fluoroquinolones of these 30 E. coli isolates were evaluated by resazurin microtiter assay. Then, the quinolone resistance determining region (QRDR) (gyrA and parC genes) of these E. coli isolates was genetically analyzed for determining the chromosomal mutation causing fluoroquinolone resistance. Results E. coli isolates showed a resistance rate of 63.33%, 23.33% and 30.03% to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin, respectively. Mutations were found at 83(rd) and 87(th) amino acid position of gyrA gene, and at 80(th) and 108(th) amino acid position of parC gene in our study isolates. Among these five isolates, one had a single mutation at 83 amino acid position of gyrA with reduced susceptibility (0.5 µg/ml) to ciprofloxacin. Then, in remaining four isolates, three isolates showed triple mutation (at gyrA: S83⟶L and D87⟶N; at parC: S80⟶I) and the fifth isolate showed an additional mutation at codon 108 of parC (A108⟶T) with the increased ciprofloxacin MIC of 16-128 µg/ml. The most common mutation noticed were at S83⟶L and D87⟶N of gyrA and S80⟶I of ParC. Conclusion The study confirms the presence of mutation/s responsible for fluoroquinolone resistance in QRDR of gyrA and parC genes of E. coli isolates of animal origin, and there is increased rate of fluoroquinolone resistance with high-level of MIC. The mutations observed in this study were similar to that of human isolates.

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Genetic characterization of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli associated with bovine mastitis in India.

Background and aim Canine parvovirus (CPV) is the most important viral cause of enteritis and mortality in pups. Evaluation and monitoring of pre- and post-vaccine immune responses may help to determine the efficacy of the current vaccination schedule being followed in pups in India. This study aimed to evaluate and monitor the pre- and post-vaccine immune responses of CPV vaccinated pups using hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay. The neutralizing antibody titer levels were also detected using serum neutralization test (SNT). Materials and methods The pups were categorized into two groups, the double booster and the single booster groups. In this study, serum samples were subjected to HI and SNT for measuring the CPV antibody titer at frequent intervals for up to 6 months from 27 healthy pups following primary and booster CPV vaccinations. Results The antibody titers in double booster pups reached their peaks at the 21st day after the second booster vaccination with a geometric mean (GM) of 3.57. The antibody titers in single booster pups reached their peaks at the 21st day after the first booster vaccination with a lower GM of 3.18. Conclusion The double booster pups maintained a higher immune response throughout the period of the study compared to single booster pups though the difference in titers was not statistically significant. SNT results indicated that the raised antibody titer was also able to yield virus-neutralizing antibodies. No interfering maternally derived antibodies were found in the pups at the age of primary vaccination (45th day) in our study. Therefore, the second booster vaccination may be useful in maintaining the protective titer for a prolonged period.

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Vijayalakshmi Padmanaban

Papers

Genetic characterization of fluoroquinolone-resistant Escherichia coli associated with bovine mastitis in India.

Comparative immune responses of pups following modified live virus vaccinations against canine parvovirus.