China Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine ›› 2023, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (11): 4681-4692.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2023.11.035

• Basic Veterinary Medicine • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Epidemiological Investigation and Resistance Gene Analysis of Tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli from Ducks in Qingdao

CUI Yanli1,2, MA Ce1,2, CUI Yunhao3, GAO Yihao1,2, TIAN Huiying1, GAO Mengting1, SONG Qian2, LIU Dejun4, ZHANG Qidi2, LIU Zhihai1,5   

  1. 1. College of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China;
    2. College of Veterinary Medicine, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao 266109, China;
    3. College of Veterinary Medicine, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300384, China;
    4. College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China;
    5. College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450000, China
  • Received:2023-06-14 Online:2023-11-05 Published:2023-10-27

Abstract: 【Objective】 Tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli was isolated and identified from duck samples collected in Qingdao, Shandong province, investigating their epidemiological distribution pattern and conducting drug sensitivity testing and identification of drug resistance genes for drug-resistant strains, and investigating the multi-drug resistance rate of tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli and the carriage of drug resistance genes, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the rational application of antibiotics.【Method】 Cloacal swabs and cecum samples of broiler ducks were used as test materials to isolate Escherichia coli by tetracycline selective medium.The sensitivity of drug-resistant strains to 12 kinds of antibacterial drugs was determined by agar dilution method.PCR technology was used to detect the drug-resistant gene carried by tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli.Further the transferability of tet(X) gene was assessed by conjugation experiments, furthermore, whole genome sequencing was performed on some tet(X) gene positive strains, at the same time, the genetic environment characteristics of drug resistance gene tet(X) was explored.【Result】 After isolation and identification, 48 strains of tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli were obtained from 63 samples, with an isolation rate of 76.19%.The drug sensitivity test results showed that all strains were resistant to tetracycline and oxytetracycline, and the resistance rates for doxycycline and florfenicol were 93.75% and 89.59%, respectively, and the strains showed different levels of resistance to polymyxin, tigecycline and meropenem, which were 64.58%, 16.67% and 4.17%, respectively, and all strains had multiple drug-resistant phenomena, of which 7 drugs were most resistant.The results of drug resistance gene detection basically corresponded to the drug resistance situation, and the corresponding resistance genes of drugs with high resistance rates showed higher carriage rates, among them, the prevalence rates of floR, tet(A), qnrS, mcr-1, and blaCTX-M genes were higher, which were 93.75%, 83.33%, 79.17%, 77.08% and 47.92%, respectively.Among 8 tigecycline-resistant strains, only 2 strains carried the known gene tet(X4), of which 1 tet(X4) gene had the transferability.Similarly, the carbapenem resistance gene blaNDMwas detected in only one of the two meropenem-resistant strains, and no known resistance gene was detected in any of the other strains, suggesting that unknown tigecycline/carbapenem resistance mechanisms might exist in these strains.In contrast, 6 of the 37 mcr-1 gene-positive strains were present and still showed sensitivity to polymyxin, indicating that the mcr-1 gene resistance function in these bacteria was not successfully exerted.【Conclusion】 Tetracycline-resistant Escherichia coli had been widely prevalent in broiler ducks, and the phenomenon of multiple drug resistance mediated by multiple drug resistance genes had been very serious, and the drug resistance mechanisms were complex and diverse, further increasing the risk of food safety and threatening human health.Therefore, the monitoring and research of drug-resistant bacteria of duck origin should be strengthened to improve the level of rational drug use in breeding.

Key words: broiler duck; tetracycline; drug resistance; Escherichia coli; tet(X4) gene

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