Detection of tetracycline resistance determinant tetA gene and antimicrobial resistance pattern in Escherichia coli isolates recovered from healthy layer chickens

Aim: The aim was to study the occurrence of tetracycline resistance determinant tetA gene, and antibacterial resistance pattern in commensal Escherichia coli recovered from healthy non-clinical layer chickens. Materials and Methods: Twenty-four cloacal swabs were obtained from 15 flocks in five different layer farms located at around Namakkal, which is a place of high-intensity layer chicken rearing in south India. Identification of E. coli was carried out by performing cultural and biochemical tests. Antimicrobial resistance test was carried out using disc diffusion method. The polymerase chain reaction employing tetAC forward and tetAC reverse primers were carried out to detect tetA gene conferring resistance to tetracycline. Result: All the collected cloacal swabs yielded E. coli. Twenty-one isolates (88%) were resistant to tetracycline antibiotic in disc diffusion method. All the isolates showed resistance to more than six antibiotics, which implied existence of multidrug resistant microbiota in intestine of poultry. Only seven (29%) isolates showed the presence of tetA gene indicating the involvement of either other one or more efflux gene(s), namely tetB, tetC and tetD or ribosomal protection encoded by tetM, tetO, tetQ and tetS genes than tetA gene. Conclusion: Based on the presence of tetA gene among tetracycline-resistant bacteria in healthy non-clinical food-producing animals such as layer chickens, it can be significant in human medicine as tetA gene could easily be spread to other bacteria. This kind of phenomenon can be extrapolated in transfer of resistance for other antibacterial essential for treating bacterial infections in human. We conclude that preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance through direct or indirect contact, consumed food/feed and through the environment is empirical in reduction of failures while treating bacterial infections.