Identification of Virulence Genes among Antibacterial-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolated from Poultry

Food borne infections represent a global health hazard. The study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of virulence genes among Escherichia coli (E.coli) isolated from the cloacae of chickens that exhibited resistance to at least one of the commonly used antibacterial agents (ABA). Isolates were tested for antibacterial resistance using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. Ninety nine E.coli isolates expressed antibacterial resistance to at least one ABA and were tested for the presence of 13 virulence genes using PCR analysis. Nine enterotoxigenic E.coli (ETEC) and 5 enteropathogenic E.coli (EPEC) isolates were detected. All 9 ETECpositive isolates were resistant to tetracycline (TE), 3 were resistant to sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (SXT) and 1 to ciprofloxacin (CIP). All 5 EPECpositive isolates were resistant to TE, 4 were resistant to gentamicin (GN), 4 were resistant to SXT and 3 to CIP. These results are of public health concern since resistant isolates that harbor virulence genes could end up in food consumed by 386 Fadi E. El-Rami et al humans. There did not appear to be an association between antibacterial resistance to SXT, GN, or CIP and virulence traits.