Assessing the Load, Virulence and Antibiotic-Resistant Traits of ESBL/Ampc <i>E. coli</i> from Broilers Raised on Conventional, Antibiotic-Free, and Organic Farms
Silvia Tofani,
Elisa Albini,
Francesca Blasi,
Lucilla Cucco,
Carmela Lovito,
Carmen Maresca,
Michele Pesciaroli,
Serenella Orsini,
Eleonora Scoccia,
Giovanni Pezzotti,
Chiara Francesca Magistrali,
Francesca Romana Massacci
Affiliations
Silvia Tofani
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Elisa Albini
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Francesca Blasi
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Lucilla Cucco
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Carmela Lovito
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Carmen Maresca
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Michele Pesciaroli
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e Dell’Emilia-Romagna “Bruno Ubertini”, 25124 Brescia, Italy
Serenella Orsini
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Eleonora Scoccia
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Giovanni Pezzotti
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Chiara Francesca Magistrali
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Francesca Romana Massacci
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche “Togo Rosati”, 06126 Perugia, Italy
Poultry is the most likely source of livestock-associated Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase (ESBL) and plasmid-mediated AmpC (pAmpC)-producing E. coli (EC) for humans. We tested the hypothesis that farming methods have an impact on the load of ESBL/pAmpC-EC in the gut of broilers at slaughter. Isolates (n = 156) of antibiotic-free (AF), organic (O), and conventional (C) animals were characterized for antibiotic susceptibility and antibiotic resistance genes. Thirteen isolates were whole-genome sequenced. The average loads of ESBL/pAmpC-EC in cecal contents were 4.17 Log CFU/g for AF; 2.85 Log CFU/g for O; and 3.88 Log CFU/g for C type (p E. coli (APEC), belonging to ST117 and ST349, were identified in the collection. These data confirm the possible role of a broiler as an ESBL/AmpC EC and APEC reservoir for humans. Overall, our study suggests that antibiotic-free and organic production may contribute to a reduced exposure to ESBL/AmpC EC for the consumer.
