Horizontal transference of antimicrobial resistance genes between a non pathogenic Escherichia coli and a pathogenic shiga toxin-producing E.coli strain

PÉREZ GAUDIO D.S., COLELLO R., FERNÁNDEZ D., MOZO J., MARTÍNEZ G., FERNÁNDEZ PAGGI M.B., DECUNDO J.M., ROMANELLI A., DIEGUEZ S., ETCHEVERRÍA A., PADOLA N.L., SORACI A.L; ALEJANDRO L. SORACI,

JOURNAL OF VETERINARY SCIENCE

KOREAN SOC VETERINARY SCIENCE

Año: 2018 vol. 3 p. 293 - 299

1229-845X

AbstractKeywords: E. coli; Integrons; Antimicrobial Resistance; Horizontal TransferenceA consequence of an inappropriate use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine is the spreading of antibiotic resistance, whichimplies a problem for public health due to the potential risk of resistance transference through the food chain by bacteria such as ShigaToxin- producing Escherichia coli (STEC). Bacteria can acquire resistance genes by horizontal transference of integrons. Integrons aregenetic elements which carry an integrase (IntI). Those carrying the IntI1 (Class 1) are the most common and are related to antibioticresistance. In the present work, a conjugation assay was performed with two E. coli strains to determine the horizontal transferenceof intI1 from an antibiotic resistant bacteria isolated from a pig farm, to a pathogenic bacteria. At 4h of assay, initially negative intI1bacteria had acquired the integrase and they had probably become resistant to antimicrobials. Animals and farm environment can actas reservoirs for potential spread of resistant bacteria by means of integrons, allowing negative intI1 bacteria (probably pathogenic)to become resistant to antibiotics in a very short period of time, constituting a problem for the future treatment of such bacterialinfections