Prevalence of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli isolates from local and imported retail chicken carcasses.

Abstract

The spread of antibiotic resistance has been associated with consumption of food contaminated with pathogenic and non-pathogenic resistant bacteria. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli isolates ( E. coli ) from local and imported retail raw chicken meat in Qatar. A total of 270 whole chicken carcasses locally-produced (chilled) and imported (chilled and frozen) were obtained from three different hypermarket stores in Qatar. A total of 216 E. coli isolates from the chicken samples were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing using disc diffusion method. Furthermore, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) production was determined via double disc synergetic test. In addition, isolates harboring colistin resistant was determined using multiplex-PCR and DNA sequencing. Nearly 89% (192/216) of the isolates were resistant to at least one of the 18 antibiotics. In general, isolates from local and imported chicken carcasses showed relatively higher resistance to sulfamethoxazole (62%), tetracycline (59.7%), ampicillin and trimethoprim (52.3%), ciprofloxacin (47.7%), cephalothin, and colistin (31.9%). On the other hand, less resistance was recorded against amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (6%), ceftriaxone (5.1%), nitrofurantoin (4.2%) and piperacillin/tazobactam (4.2%), cefepime (2.3%), meropenem (1.4%), ertapenem (0.9%), and amikacin (0.9%). Nine isolates (4.2%) were ESBL producers. Furthermore, 63.4% (137/216) were multidrug resistant (MDR). The percentage of MDR, ESBL producers, and colistin-resistant isolates were significantly higher among local chilled isolates compared to imported chilled and frozen chicken samples. Our findings indicate the high antibiotic resistant E. coli prevalence in chicken meat sold at retail in Qatar.