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Occurrence and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from domestic animals from Southern Ecuador

Ocorrência e comportamento antimicrobiano de espécies termotolerantes de Campylobacter isoladas de animais domésticos no sul do Equador

ABSTRACT:

Occurrence and antimicrobial resistance profiles of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli strains isolated from fecal samples of dogs, pigs, cows and hens in southern Ecuador were studied. Of the 250 samples studied, 84 (33.6%) were Campylobacter positive, with C. jejuni being more frequent (78.6%) than C. coli (21.4%), with the exception of porcine samples, from which C. coli was the only species isolated. Multidrug resistance was reported in 10 Campylobacter strains (11.9%), four C. jejuni and six C. coli, and was always associated with nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin resistance. All of the amoxicillin-resistant strains were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and were therefore beta-lactamase producers. However, one strain of C. jejuni remained resistant with additional resistance to gentamycin. This is an uncommon resistance pattern in Campylobacter and could reflect different resistance mechanisms.

Key words:
Campylobacter; reservoirs; domestic animals; antimicrobial resistance

RESUMO:

A ocorrência e resistência antimicrobiana de cepas de Campylobacter jejuni e C. coli isoladas de amostras fecais obtidas de cães, suínos, vacas e galinhas no sul do Equador foram determinadas. Das 250 amostras estudadas, 84 (33.6%) foram Campylobacter positivas, sendo C. jejuni mais frequente (78.6%) que C. coli (21.4%) com a exceção das amostras de suínos, das quais só fora isolada a espécie C. coli. Multirresistência foi encontrada em 10 cepas (11,9%), quatro C. jejuni e 6 C. coli, sempre associada à resistência ao ácido nalidíxico e à ciprofloxacina. Todas as cepas resistentes à ampicilina foram susceptíveis para amoxicilina-ácido clavulánico demonstrando que foram produtoras de beta-lactamase. Porém, uma cepa de C. jejuni permaneceu sendo resistente, apresentando, também, resistência à gentamicina. Este é um padrão de multirresistência incomum em Campylobacter e pode refletir diferentes mecanismos de resistência.

Palavras-chave:
Campylobacter; reservatórios; animais domésticos; resistência antimicrobiana

At present, 27 species and 12 subspecies are included within genus Campylobacter (LPSN BACTERIO.NET, 2016LPSN BACTERIO.NET. List of Prokaryotic names with standing in nomenclature - Genus Campylobacter. 2016 Available from: <Available from: http://www.bacterio.net/campylobacter.html >. Accessed: Sept. 18, 2017.
http://www.bacterio.net/campylobacter.ht...
; PICCIRILLO et al., 2016PICCIRILLO, A. et al. Campylobacter geochelonis sp. nov. isolated from the western Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermannihermanni). International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, v.66, p.3468-3476, 2016. Available from: <Available from: http://www.microbiologyresearch.org/docserver/fulltext/ijsem/66/9/3468_ijsem001219.pdf?expires=1538966740&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=C36538364550064F5ECE6A94AEC27A97 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1099/ijsem.0.001219.
http://www.microbiologyresearch.org/docs...
). They are found colonizing the intestinal tract of a wide range of animals, mainly birds and mammals, recognized as their reservoir. Within these species, Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli have acquired great importance from a public health perspective, since they are considered as frequent zoonotic agents of diarrhea for human beings worldwide (KAAKOUSH et al., 2015KAAKOUSH, O. et al. Global epidemiology of Campylobacter infection. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, v.28, p.687-720, 2015. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4462680/ >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1128/CMR.00006-15.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
; NARVAEZ-BRAVO et al., 2017NARVAEZ-BRAVO, C. et al. Epidemiology of antimicrobial resistant Campylobacter spp. isolated from retail meats in Canada. International Journal of Food Microbiology, v.253, p.43-47, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28477522 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2017.04.019.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2847...
).

Commonly, animals that harbor Campylobacter in their intestinal tract are asymptomatic carriers and can be source of contamination for humans, other animals, the environment and even food of animal origin like meat and milk (FERNÁNDEZ, 2011FERNÁNDEZ, H. Campylobacter y campylobacteriosis: una mirada desde América del Sur. Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pública, v.28, p.121-127, 2011. Available from: <Available from: http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1726-46342011000100019&lng=es&nrm=iso >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.17843/rpmesp.2016.331.2007.
http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?scri...
; EPPS et al., 2013EPPS, S.V.R. et al. Foodborne Campylobacter: infections, metabolism, pathogenesis and reservoirs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, v.10, p.6292-3604, 2013. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24287853 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.3390/ijerph10126292.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2428...
; NARVAEZ-BRAVO et al., 2017NARVAEZ-BRAVO, C. et al. Epidemiology of antimicrobial resistant Campylobacter spp. isolated from retail meats in Canada. International Journal of Food Microbiology, v.253, p.43-47, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28477522 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2017.04.019.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2847...
).

C. jejuni and C. coli have been isolated from different animals in several South American countries, with frequencies ranging from 16.96% in dogs to 94% in chickens (FERNÁNDEZ, 2011FERNÁNDEZ, H. Campylobacter y campylobacteriosis: una mirada desde América del Sur. Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pública, v.28, p.121-127, 2011. Available from: <Available from: http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1726-46342011000100019&lng=es&nrm=iso >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.17843/rpmesp.2016.331.2007.
http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?scri...
). In Ecuador, the information about these bacteria is scarce, with a limited number of publications available. VASCO et al. (2016VASCO, K. et el. Detection of zoonotic enteropathogens in children and domestic animals in a semirural community in Ecuador. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, v.82, p.4218-4224, 2016. Available from: <Available from: https://aem.asm.org/content/82/14/4218 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00795-16.
https://aem.asm.org/content/82/14/4218...
) reported C. jejuni and C. coli in samples from chickens (76.2%), dogs (27.5%), pigs (47.2%) and cattle (28.6%) in a semirural community East of Quito; whereas VINUEZA et al. (2017VINUEZA, C. et al. Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and genetic diversity of Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni in Ecuadorian broilers at slaughter age. Poultry Science, v.96, p.2366-2374, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28339716 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.3382/ps/pew487.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2833...
) reported that the prevalence at a batch level was 64.1%, while studying 379 broiler batches from 115 farms located in Pichincha province. In Southern Ecuador, these bacteria were previously isolated from fecal samples of dogs (10%) (TOLEDO et al., 2015TOLEDO Z. et al. Occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli in dog feces from public Parks in Southern Ecuador. Acta Scientiae Veterinariae, v.43, p.1284, 2015. Available from: <Available from: http://www.ufrgs.br/actavet/43/PUB%201284.pdf >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018.
http://www.ufrgs.br/actavet/43/PUB%20128...
), chicken livers used for human consumption (62.7%) (SIMALUIZA et al., 2015SIMALUIZA, R.J. et al. The prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli in chicken livers used for human consumption in Ecuador. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, v.14, p.6-9, 2015. Available from: <Available from: https://www.medwelljournals.com/abstract/?doi=javaa.2015.6.9 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.3923/javaa.2015.6.9.
https://www.medwelljournals.com/abstract...
) and domestic backyard chickens (41.7%) (OCHOA et al., 2016OCHOA, S. et al. Frequency and antimicrobial behavior of thermophilic Campylobacter species isolated from Ecuadorian backyard chickens. Archivos de Medicina Veterinaria, v.48, p. 311-314, 2016. Available from: <Available from: https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0301-732X2016000300002&script=sci_abstract&tlng=pt >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.4067/S0301-732X2004000200001.
https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?pid...
).

With the goal to establish, in the southern region of Ecuador, the occurrence and the antimicrobial resistance of C. jejuni and C. coli isolated from a reduced sample of domestic animals (dogs, pigs, cows and hens) commonly considered as reservoirs for these bacteria.

Fecal samples, obtained by spontaneous emission from 250 domestic animals raised around Loja city (3°59’ Lat S; 79°12’ Long W) were studied. Taking into consideration that the owners only allowed to sample a limited number of animals, sampling was performed using a non-probabilistic method for convenience. The studied animals were 60 pet dogs, obtaining 20 samples from three different veterinary clinics; 30 fattening pigs obtaining 15 samples from two pigs farms; 100 dairy cows obtaining 25 samples from four different farms and 60 backyard hens obtaining 15 samples from three different farms.

Following collection, each fecal sample was inoculated onto a transport-enrichment medium (FERNÁNDEZ, 1992FERNÁNDEZ, H. Increase of Campylobacter isolation rates using an enrichment medium. Revista de Microbiologia, São Paulo, v.23, p.5-7, 1992.) consisting of (composition/L) Brucella broth 28g, agar 1.5g, sodium metabisulphite 0.5g, ferrous sulphate 0.5g, sodium pyruvate 0.5g, trimethoprim 10mg, rifampicin 15mg, colistin 10,000IU, amphotericin 10mg and horse blood 30mL, and transported to the laboratory under a microaerobic atmosphere obtained using commercial generator envelopes (FERNÁNDEZ, 1992FERNÁNDEZ, H. Increase of Campylobacter isolation rates using an enrichment medium. Revista de Microbiologia, São Paulo, v.23, p.5-7, 1992.; TOLEDO et al. 2017TOLEDO, Z. et al. Occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility of thermophilic Campylobacter species isolated from healthy children attending municipal care centers in Southern Ecuador. Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, v. 59, p. e77, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5738762/ >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1590/s1678-9946201759077.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
). After an enrichment period of 24h at 42°C under microaerobic conditions, aliquots of each enriched sample were seeded on Butzler medium plates and incubated for 48h under the same conditions described above. Suspected colonies were initially identified by phenotypic test (Gram stain, oxidase, catalase, hippurate and indoxylacetate ''hydrolysis) and confirmed by the multiplex PCR test as described by YAMAZAKI-MATSUNE et al. (2007YAMAZAKI-MATSUNE, W. et al. Development of a multiplex PCR assay for identification of Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter fetus, Campylobacter hyointestinalis subsp. hyointestinalis, Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter lari and Campylobacter upsaliensis. Journal of Medical Microbiology, v.56, p.1467-1473, 2007. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17965346 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.47363-0.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1796...
).

Susceptibility to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, gentamycin, amoxicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was determined by the disk diffusion method following the recommendations for Campylobacter of the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing - EUCAST (SIFRÉ et al., 2015SIFRÉ, E. et al. EUCAST recommendations for antimicrobial susceptibility testing applied to the three main Campylobacter species isolated in humans. Journal of Microbiological Methods, v.119, p. 206-213, 2015. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26519770 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2015.10.018.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2651...
). Amoxicillin resistant strains were tested for β-lactamase production using the cefinase β-lactamase detection discs and the disc diffusion susceptibility test for amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (LACHANCE et al., 1991LACHANCE, N. et al. Role of the β-Lactamase of Campylobacter jejuni in resistance to 13-lactam agents. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, v.35, p.813-818, 1991. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC245112/ >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1128/AAC.35.5.813.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
; IOVINE, 2013IOVINE, N. Resistance mechanisms in Campylobacter jejuni. Virulence, v.4, p. 230-240, 2013. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23406779 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.4161/viru.23753.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2340...
). The differences between groups was assessed by a Ji-squared test.

As shown in table 1, 33.6% of the samples were positive for Campylobacter sp. The highest isolation rate was reported among hens (68.3%), followed by dogs (33.3%), pigs (26.7%) and cows (15%). Similar distribution was reported by VASCO et al. (2016VASCO, K. et el. Detection of zoonotic enteropathogens in children and domestic animals in a semirural community in Ecuador. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, v.82, p.4218-4224, 2016. Available from: <Available from: https://aem.asm.org/content/82/14/4218 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1128/AEM.00795-16.
https://aem.asm.org/content/82/14/4218...
) in Central Ecuador; however, with some differences in the isolation percentages in chickens 76.2%, pigs 47.2%, dogs 27.5% and cattle 28.6%. Both Campylobacter species have been isolated from these animals in different South American countries, also with high frequencies (FERNÁNDEZ, 2011FERNÁNDEZ, H. Campylobacter y campylobacteriosis: una mirada desde América del Sur. Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pública, v.28, p.121-127, 2011. Available from: <Available from: http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1726-46342011000100019&lng=es&nrm=iso >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.17843/rpmesp.2016.331.2007.
http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?scri...
), thus indicating that these animals are important reservoirs of the bacteria in South America. Therefore, it would be important to establish the existence of the epidemiological relationship between strains isolated from these animal reservoirs and cases of diarrhea in humans. Previous studies have demonstrated that Campylobacter isolates from humans exhibited characteristics identical to those isolated from domestic animals (ISHIHARA et al., 2006ISHIHARA, K. et al. Comparison of Campylobacter isolated from humans and food-producing animals in Japan. Journal of Applied Microbiology, v.100, p.153-160, 2006. Available from: <Available from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2005.02769.x >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2005.02769.x.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full...
; GONZÁLEZ-HEIN et al., 2013GONZÁLEZ-HEIN, G. et al. Campylobacter jejuni isolated from human cases in Chile showed indistinguishable pulsed field gel electrophoresis profiles with strains isolated from poultry and bovine sources. CyTA - Journal of Food, v.11, p.185-189, 2013. Available from: <Available from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19476337.2012.722564 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1080/19476337.2012.722564.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
).

Table 1
Campylobacter species distribution among domestic animals from Southern Ecuador.

C. jejuni was most frequently isolated (78.6%) versus C. coli (21.4%) from all animals studied, with the exception of pigs, from which the only isolated species was C. coli. However, the proportion of C. coli isolates, compared to the total isolates of both species, was 21.4%, which is consistent with the C. jejuni/C. coli ratio (close to 25%) observed in different types of samples in several countries in South America (FERNÁNDEZ, 2011FERNÁNDEZ, H. Campylobacter y campylobacteriosis: una mirada desde América del Sur. Revista Peruana de Medicina Experimental y Salud Pública, v.28, p.121-127, 2011. Available from: <Available from: http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1726-46342011000100019&lng=es&nrm=iso >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.17843/rpmesp.2016.331.2007.
http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?scri...
). The isolation of C. coli as the only species in pigs is not surprising, since these animals are considered the primary reservoir from which C. coli is isolated in high frequency (ALTER et al., 2005ALTER, T. et al. Prevalences and transmission routes of Campylobacter spp. strains within multiple pig farms. Veterinary Microbiology, v.108, p.251-261, 2005. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15885928 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2005.03.004.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1588...
; GEBREYES et al., 2005GEBREYES, W.A. et al. Campylobacter coli: prevalence and antimicrobial resistance in antimicrobial-free (ABF) swine production systems. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, v.56, p.765-768, 2005. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16120624 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1093/jac/dki305.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1612...
) or as the only species (KEMPF et al., 2017KEMPF, I. et al. Campylobacter coli in organic and conventional pig production in France and Sweden: prevalence and antimicrobial resistance. Frontiers in Microbiology, v.8, p.955, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28611754 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2017.00955.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2861...
).

Table 2 shows the antimicrobial resistance of the tested Campylobacter strains. Multidrug resistance, defined as the resistance to three or more antimicrobials (HAKANEN et al., 2003HAKANEN, A.J. et al. Multidrug resistance in Campylobacter jejuni strains collected from Finnish patients during 1995-2000. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, v.52, p. 1035-1039, 2003. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14613954 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkh332.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1461...
), was reported in 10 strains (11.9%), four corresponding to C. jejuni and six to C. coli. Multidrug resistance was always associated with nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin resistance since all 10 strains exhibited resistance to both antimicrobials. The association of multidrug resistance with fluoroquinolone resistance was described in clinical strains by HAKANEN et al., in 2003.HAKANEN, A.J. et al. Multidrug resistance in Campylobacter jejuni strains collected from Finnish patients during 1995-2000. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, v.52, p. 1035-1039, 2003. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14613954 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkh332.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1461...
Currently, fluoroquinolone resistance in Campylobacter species is an emerging public health problem in several Latin American countries, and is frequently associated with multidrug resistance (FERNÁNDEZ & PÉREZ-PÉREZ, 2016FERNÁNDEZ, H., PÉREZ-PÉREZ, G. Campylobacter: fluoroquinolone resistance in Latin-American countries. Archivos de Medicina Veterinaria, v.48, p. 255-259, 2016. Available from: <Available from: https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0301-732X2016000300002&script=sci_abstract&tlng=pt >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.4067/S0301-732X2004000200001.
https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?pid...
; VINUEZA et al., 2017VINUEZA, C. et al. Prevalence, antimicrobial resistance and genetic diversity of Campylobacter coli and Campylobacter jejuni in Ecuadorian broilers at slaughter age. Poultry Science, v.96, p.2366-2374, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28339716 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.3382/ps/pew487.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2833...
).

Table 2
Antimicrobial behavior of Campylobacter species isolated from domestic animals of southern Ecuador.

Some peculiarities could be observed from the results shown in table 2. All of the strains of C. jejuni and C. coli isolated from dogs were susceptible to nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin. This is in contrast with the previous data from Latin America where Campylobacter strains resistant to fluoroquinolones were reported among pet dogs (FERNÁNDEZ & PÉREZ-PÉREZ, 2016FERNÁNDEZ, H., PÉREZ-PÉREZ, G. Campylobacter: fluoroquinolone resistance in Latin-American countries. Archivos de Medicina Veterinaria, v.48, p. 255-259, 2016. Available from: <Available from: https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0301-732X2016000300002&script=sci_abstract&tlng=pt >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.4067/S0301-732X2004000200001.
https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?pid...
; TOLEDO et al., 2015TOLEDO Z. et al. Occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli in dog feces from public Parks in Southern Ecuador. Acta Scientiae Veterinariae, v.43, p.1284, 2015. Available from: <Available from: http://www.ufrgs.br/actavet/43/PUB%201284.pdf >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018.
http://www.ufrgs.br/actavet/43/PUB%20128...
). It is plausible that the results could be associated with the condition of these pets, since they are not exposed with the same frequency to the transmission factors of Campylobacter as feral dogs (IANNINO et al., 2017IANNINO, F. et al. Campylobacter infections, a significant issue of veterinary urban hygiene: dog-related risk factors. Campylobacter infections, a significant issue of veterinary urban hygiene: dog-related risk factors. Veterinaria Italiana, v.53, p. 111-120, 2017. Available from: <Available from: http://www.izs.it/vet_italiana/2017/53_2/VetIt_904_4615_2.pdf >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.12834/VetIt.904.4615.2.
http://www.izs.it/vet_italiana/2017/53_2...
). Besides, fluoroquinolones are not first-line antimicrobials in the treatment of some infections in domestic dogs (GUARDABASSI et al., 2004GUARDABASSI, L., et al. Pet animals as reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, v.54, p.321-332, 2004. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15254022 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkh332.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1525...
). All of the strains isolated from pigs were C. coli and all were resistant to quinolones. High resistance to quinolones has been shown in C. coli strains isolated from pigs (THAKUR & GEBREYES, 2005THAKUR, S., GEBREYES, W.A. Campylobacter coli in swine production: antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and molecular epidemiology. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, v.43, p. 5705-5714, 2005. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16272508 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1128/JCM.43.11.5705-5714.2005.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1627...
; QIN et al., 2011QIN S-S., et al. Antimicrobial resistance in Campylobacter coli isolated from pigs in two provinces of China. International Journal of Food Microbiology, v.146, p. 94.98, 2011. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21349598 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2011.01.035.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2134...
).

All of the strains, except one strain of C jejuni, were susceptible to gentamycin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. In previous studies conducted in Southern Ecuador, no resistance was observed in either C. jejuni or in C. coli strains isolated from dogs (TOLEDO et al., 2015TOLEDO Z. et al. Occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility of Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli in dog feces from public Parks in Southern Ecuador. Acta Scientiae Veterinariae, v.43, p.1284, 2015. Available from: <Available from: http://www.ufrgs.br/actavet/43/PUB%201284.pdf >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018.
http://www.ufrgs.br/actavet/43/PUB%20128...
), backyard chickens (OCHOA et al., 2016OCHOA, S. et al. Frequency and antimicrobial behavior of thermophilic Campylobacter species isolated from Ecuadorian backyard chickens. Archivos de Medicina Veterinaria, v.48, p. 311-314, 2016. Available from: <Available from: https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?pid=S0301-732X2016000300002&script=sci_abstract&tlng=pt >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.4067/S0301-732X2004000200001.
https://scielo.conicyt.cl/scielo.php?pid...
) and healthy children (TOLEDO et al., 2017TOLEDO, Z. et al. Occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility of thermophilic Campylobacter species isolated from healthy children attending municipal care centers in Southern Ecuador. Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, v. 59, p. e77, 2017. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5738762/ >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1590/s1678-9946201759077.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/article...
). All of the amoxicillin-resistant strains were cefinase positive and susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and are, therefore, beta-lactamase producers (IOVINE, 2013IOVINE, N. Resistance mechanisms in Campylobacter jejuni. Virulence, v.4, p. 230-240, 2013. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23406779 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.4161/viru.23753.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2340...
), with the exception of one strain of C. jejuni that remained resistant. This particular strain was also gentamycin resistant, showing an uncommon resistance pattern whose genetic determinants should be investigated in future studies. Resistance to amoxicillin and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid was tested because these antibiotics are recommended for the treatment of systemic Campylobacter infections, similarly to aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones (SIFRÉ et al., 2015SIFRÉ, E. et al. EUCAST recommendations for antimicrobial susceptibility testing applied to the three main Campylobacter species isolated in humans. Journal of Microbiological Methods, v.119, p. 206-213, 2015. Available from: <Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26519770 >. Accessed: Oct. 7, 2018. doi: 10.1016/j.mimet.2015.10.018.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2651...
).

The antimicrobial resistance levels reported in this study suggested that prudent measures should be implemented to prevent the emergence, persistence and transmission of antibiotic resistant Campylobacter strains between animals, humans, food of animal origin and the environment.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was supported by Project PRO_CCSAL_1077.

REFERENCES:

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    CR-2018-0003.R2

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    2018

History

  • Received
    05 Jan 2018
  • Accepted
    21 Sept 2018
  • Reviewed
    17 Oct 2018
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