Prevalence and Antibiogram of Generic Extended-Spectrum β-Lactam-Resistant Enterobacteria in Healthy Pigs

This study was conducted to isolate generic extended-spectrum β-lactam (ESBL)-resistant enterobacteria from pigs reared in Enugu State Southeast, Nigeria and determine the antibacterial resistance profile of the isolates. Rectal swabs were collected from 190, randomly selected, apparently healthy pigs. Isolation of ESBL-resistant enterobacteria was done using Mac Conkey agar supplemented with 2 µg/ml of cefotaxime. Phenotypic characterization of the isolates to generic level was done following standard biochemical methods. Phenotypic resistance of the isolates to antibacterial agents was determined using the disc diffusion method. Out of 46 ESBL-resistant enterobacterial isolates, 4 (8.7%) were Escherichia coli, 11 (23.9%) were Salmonella species, while 31 (67.4%) were Klebsiella species. Resistance of the Salmonella isolates was 45.5% to ciprofloxacin, 36.4% to ofloxacin and levofloxacin, 9.1% to norfloxacin, amikacin and gentamicin, 27.3% to streptomycin, 72.7% to chloramphenicol and 90.9% to tetracycline. Resistance of the Klebsiella isolates was 93.5% to ampicillin, 12.9% to ciprofloxacin, 19.4% to ofloxacin and levofloxacin, 9.7% to norfloxacin and streptomycin, 64.5% to chloramphenicol and 38.7% to tetracycline. Resistance of the E. coli isolates was 100% to gentamicin, 75% to ampicillin and streptomycin, 50% to ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline, and 25% to ofloxacin, levofloxacin and amikacin. All the isolates were resistant to ceftriaxone, cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefepime, cefpodoxime, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and aztreonam. Resistance of the isolates to more than 3 classes of antibacterial agents tested was 54.8% for Klebsiella, 90.9% for Salmonella and 100% for E. coli, respectively. This study has shown that pigs reared in Enugu State Southeast, Nigeria, are colonized by ESBL-resistant Enterobactericeae and are potential reservoirs and disseminators of these organisms