OXA-48-positive carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in a farrow-to-finish pig farm: First report in Thailand

Abstract

Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) have emerged as an urgent threat to public health. This study aimed to determine the occurrence of CRE and the carbapenemase genes in a farrow-to-finish pig farm, and to investigate carriage proportion and maintenance of CRE during the pig production cycle. We conducted a cross-sectional study by collecting 200 rectal swabs from healthy pigs of 5 groups: gilts, sows, piglets, weaners, and fatteners. In the longitudinal study, 20 healthy pigs were followed from 2 to 26 weeks old, and rectal swabs were collected from each pig for 5 times. Samples were screened for CRE using MacConkey agar supplemented with meropenem at 0.5 µg/mL. Identification and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the recovered isolates were determined using an automated system. PCR was used to detect carbapenemase genes. The occurrence of Enterobacteriaceae isolates with the carbapenem resistant phenotype and/or harboring the blaOXA-48 gene was 3% (6/200) in the cross-sectional study. Groups of sows and piglets had the same occurrence rate at 5% (2/40), while weaner and fattener groups had 2.5% (1/40). In the longitudinal study, CRE were not detected in pigs at an early age; however, two isolates were detected at the age of finishing. This study is the first report of Enterobacteriaceae with a carbapenem resistant phenotype and/or carrying blaOXA-48 gene in pigs in Thailand. Finding CRE in pigs at all age categories including finisher in the study farm underscores the need for active monitoring and surveillance studies to determine the occurrence of CRE in pig farms in Thailand.