Carriage and fecal counts of cefotaxime M-producing Escherichia coli in pigs: a longitudinal study.

Katrine Hartung Hansen, Peter Damborg, Margit Andreasen, Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Luca Guardabassi

Applied and environmental microbiology 2013 Feb

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Current knowledge on extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in animals is based largely on cross-sectional studies and qualitative data. The aim of this longitudinal study was to elucidate carriage proportions and fecal counts of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in pigs during the production cycle. At each of three ESBL-positive single-sited farrow-to-finisher pig farms (farms A, B, and C) included in the study, individual fecal samples were taken from 17 to 20 sows 1 week before farrowing and from 2 piglets of each sow's litter four times from birth to slaughter (as piglets, weaners, and finishers). Cefotaxime (CTX)-resistant coliforms in feces were counted on MacConkey agar containing 2 μg/ml CTX and characterized for the presence of ESBL-encoding genes by PCR and sequencing. CTX-M-positive pigs were detected in all age groups at farms A (bla(CTX-M-9) group, compatible with bla(CTX-M-14/17)) and B (bla(CTX-M-1) group, compatible with bla(CTX-M-1/61)), whereas only three weaners were positive at farm C (bla(CTX-M-1) group, compatible with bla(CTX-M-1/61)). A significant decrease in carriage was detected during the production cycle, with on average 50% carriage immediately after birth, 58% just before weaning, 29% during weaning, and 12% during finishing. The observed reduction in numbers of CTX-M-positive pigs was accompanied by a significant reduction in mean fecal counts of CTX-resistant coliforms from ~10(7) CFU/g in piglets to ~10(3) CFU/g in finishers (P < 0.001). These findings provide novel information about the epidemiology of ESBLs at the farm level and have important implications for assessments of risks of meat contamination during slaughter.

Citation

Katrine Hartung Hansen, Peter Damborg, Margit Andreasen, Søren Saxmose Nielsen, Luca Guardabassi. Carriage and fecal counts of cefotaxime M-producing Escherichia coli in pigs: a longitudinal study. Applied and environmental microbiology. 2013 Feb;79(3):794-8