Extended spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli among backyard poultry farms, farmers, and environments in Thailand

Food-producing animals, including poultry, have been considered as potential sources of extended spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli. This study investigates the occurrence and dissemination of ESBL-producing E. coli among backyard poultry farms, farmers, and environments in Northern Thailand. Antimicrobial-resistant phenotypes, resistant determinants, genotypic characterizations, and spread of these isolates were studied. Fecal samples from poultry, farmers, and environments were captured from 27 farms. In total, 587 samples were collected and the overall 27.1% (159/587) of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates were obtained. Among these, ESBL-producing E. coli was isolated from 50% (farmers), 25.9% poultry (24.9% chicken and 36.6% duck) of the fecal samples, and 25.0% of the environmental samples. All isolates demonstrated multidrug resistance, most frequently to ≥ 10 different antimicrobial agents. Molecular analysis of ESBL-encoding genes showed that the predominant gene was blaCTX-M-55 (54.1%), followed by blaCTX-M-14 (28.3%), and blaCTX-M-15 (8.8%). blaCTX-M-27 (3.8%) and blaCTX-M-65 (0.6%) were also detected at low frequencies. Conjugation assays demonstrated that blaCTX-M could be transferred to E. coli J53 with the transfer frequencies ranging from 10−7 to 10−2. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) revealed diverse genotypes, however, identical and closely related PFGE profiles were detected among isolates within and between farms, suggesting the clonal transmission. In addition, our study identified 4 blaCTX-M-27-positive E. coli B2-ST131 isolates. Interestingly, two ST131 isolates, obtained from a farmer and chicken in the same area, showed closely related PFGE profiles. Our results suggest the presence and spread of ESBL-producing E. coli between backyard poultry farms, farmers, and environments in Thailand