Multidrug resistance problems targeting piglets and environmental health by Escherichia coli in intensive swine farms

Abstract

Multidrug resistance (MDR) problems become critical concerns in animal production through food chains and the environment. Thus, the cross-sectional study of E. coli in swine feces, drinking water, and wastewater collected on four medium and four large swine farms in Thailand was studied. The orders of antibiotics used were AMX-COL-GM-TIL and AMX-COL-GM-CER on medium-sized and large swine farms, respectively. Hemolytic E. coli (HEC) was more frequently isolated from all samples than Non-hemolytic E. coli (NHEC). The medium-sized farms were resistant to AMP, AMX, TE, and C, while large farms were resistant to AMP, AMX, TE, and PIP. Only two sensitive antibiotics, namely AK and TE, were available on both farms, whereas, banned NT was still detected in the sludge. The MDR of E. coli isolates was 95.7% and 87.7% on medium-sized and large swine farms, while the highest resistance found was 15 drugs used for NHEC on medium-sized swine farms. The PFGE molecular typing revealed the largest cluster containing five isolations, correlated with drinking water, sow, and fattening isolates; however, the phenotypic and genotypic were not in a similar pattern. The most seriously MDR related to HEC was found in the piglets, effluent, and sludge.Thus, the AMR and MDR of E. coli existence in medium-sized and large swine farms in this study. MDR of E. coli was substantially found in the environmental, including effluent and sludge. Therefore, it inevitably operates the long-term monitoring of AMR, especially targeted piglets and its environment as the main focus of critical antibiotics use in swine farms.

Keywords

• Escherichia coli
• Multidrug resistance
• Environment
• Swine farm
• Genetic diversity
• Pulse field gel electrophoresis