Array based detection of antibiotic resistance genes in Gram negative bacteria isolated from retail poultry meat in the UK and Ireland.
The use of antibiotics in birds and animals intended for human consumption within the European Union (EU) and elsewhere has been subject to regulation prohibiting the use of antimicrobials as growth promoters and the use of last resort antibiotics in an attempt to reduce the spread of multi-resistant Gram negative bacteria. Given the inexorable spread of antibiotic resistance there is an increasing need for improved monitoring of our food. Using selective media, Gram negative bacteria were isolated from retail chicken of UK-Intensively reared (n=27), Irish-Intensively reared (n=19) and UK-Free range (n=30) origin and subjected to an oligonucleotide based array system for the detection of 47 clinically relevant antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and two integrase genes. High incidences of β-lactamase genes were noted in all sample types, acc (67%), cmy (80%), fox (55%) and tem (40%) while chloramphenicol resistant determinants were detected in bacteria from the UK poultry portions and were absent in bacteria from the Irish samples. Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE) was used to qualitatively analyse the Gram negative population in the samples and showed the expected diversity based on band stabbing and DNA sequencing. The array system proved to be a quick method for the detection of antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) burden within a mixed Gram negative bacterial population.
Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA, United Kingdom.
Grainne
G
McNeece
Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA, United Kingdom.
Violetta
V
Naughton
Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Reading, PO Box 226, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AP, United Kingdom.
Martin J
MJ
Woodward
Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA, United Kingdom.
James S G
JS
Dooley
Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ulster, Cromore Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry BT52 1SA, United Kingdom. Electronic address: pj.naughton@ulster.ac.uk.
Patrick J
PJ
Naughton
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002645:Chickens; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics*; D005516:Food Microbiology / Q000379:methods*; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D007494:Ireland; D008460:Meat / Q000382:microbiology*; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000592:standards*; D011200:Poultry / Q000382:microbiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D006113:United Kingdom; D001618:beta-Lactamases / Q000235:genetics
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D001618:beta-Lactamases
Antibiotic resistance gene (ARG); Array; Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE); Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL); Poultry