Antimicrobial Resistance-Transducing Bacteriophages Isolated from Surfaces of Equine Surgery Clinics – A Pilot Study.
Abstract: In the past, the horizontal transfer of antimicrobial resistance genes was mainly associated with conjugative plasmids or transposons, whereas transduction by bacteriophages was thought to be a rare event. In order to analyze the likelihood of transduction of antimicrobial resistance in the field of clinical veterinary medicine, we isolated phages from from a surgery suite of an equine clinic. In a pilot study, the surgery suite of a horse clinic was sampled directly after surgery and subsequently sampled after cleaning and disinfection following a sampling plan based on hygiene, surgery, and anesthesia. In total, 31 surface sampling sites were defined and sampled. At 24 of these 31 surface sampling sites, coliphages were isolated. At 12 sites, coliphages were found after cleaning and disinfection. Randomly selected phages were tested for their ability of antimicrobial resistance transduction. Ten of 31 phages were detected to transfer antimicrobial resistance. These phages most often transduced resistance to streptomycin, encoded by the gene ( = 9), followed by resistance to chloramphenicol by ( = 3) and ampicillin ( = 1). This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first report on antimicrobial resistance-transferring bacteriophages that have been isolated at equine veterinary clinics.
Publication Date: 2017-11-20 PubMed ID: 29403658PubMed Central: PMC5793699DOI: 10.1556/1886.2017.00032Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This study explores the potential for bacteriophages to transfer antibiotic resistance genes, focusing on samples from equine surgery settings. The researchers found that various bacteriophages, particularly those resistant to streptomycin, can be found even after thorough cleaning and disinfection.
Study Overview
- The research examined the transmission of antibiotic resistance genes through bacteriophages, which previously were not commonly associated with such transmission.
- The study was conducted in an equine surgery suite, sampled post-surgery and post-cleaning/disinfection. The researchers aimed to understand the level of antibiotic resistance transduction in clinical veterinary environments.
Sampling and Methodology
- In total, 31 different surface sampling sites within the surgery suite were defined and sampled. Despite thorough cleaning, bacteriophages, particularly coliphages, were found at almost all sites.
- The bacteriophages were then tested for their ability to transfer antibiotic resistance, a sample of these phages was taken at random.
Findings
- Of the tested phages, around one-third (10 out of 31) were found capable of transferring antibiotic resistance.
- The antibiotic resistance was most frequently to streptomycin, encoded by a specific gene and found in nine of these samples, followed by resistance to chloramphenicol, and lastly ampicillin.
- These findings imply that bacteriophages potentially play a more significant role in distributing antibiotic resistance genes than previously thought, particularly in clinical settings like a veterinary surgery suite.
Importance and Impact
- This is believed to be the first study to report bacteriophages carrying antibiotic resistance genes in equine veterinary clinics, highlighting a relatively unexplored avenue for antimicrobial resistance.
- The findings raise concerns over disinfection methods, given that bacteriophages were found post-cleaning, suggesting current hygiene procedures may not be fully effective against them.
- The observed transmission of antibiotic resistance has implications for animal health and potentially broader implications for public health as well, suggesting further research is needed.
Cite This Article
APA
Hilbert M, Csadek I, Auer U, Hilbert F.
(2017).
Antimicrobial Resistance-Transducing Bacteriophages Isolated from Surfaces of Equine Surgery Clinics – A Pilot Study.
Eur J Microbiol Immunol (Bp), 7(4), 296-302.
https://doi.org/10.1556/1886.2017.00032 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institute of Meat Hygiene, Meat Technology and Food Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
- Institute of Meat Hygiene, Meat Technology and Food Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
- Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive Care, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria.
- Institute of Meat Hygiene, Meat Technology and Food Science, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
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Citations
This article has been cited 8 times.- Rodríguez-Rubio L, Haarmann N, Schwidder M, Muniesa M, Schmidt H. Bacteriophages of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Their Contribution to Pathogenicity. Pathogens 2021 Mar 29;10(4).
- Sato W, Sukmawinata E, Uemura R, Kanda T, Kusano K, Kambayashi Y, Sato T, Ishikawa Y, Toya R, Sueyoshi M. Antimicrobial resistance profiles and phylogenetic groups of Escherichia coli isolated from healthy Thoroughbred racehorses in Japan. J Equine Sci 2020;31(4):85-91.
- Zechner V, Sofka D, Paulsen P, Hilbert F. Antimicrobial Resistance in Escherichia coli and Resistance Genes in Coliphages from a Small Animal Clinic and in a Patient Dog with Chronic Urinary Tract Infection. Antibiotics (Basel) 2020 Sep 29;9(10).
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