Molecular characterization and antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridium difficile isolated from rabbits raised for meat production.
Clostridium difficile is an important cause of enteric disease in humans and animals. Recent studies demonstrated a genetic overlap between C. difficile isolated from animals and humans suggesting animals as possible reservoir for human pathogenic strains. This study was a preliminary investigation on the occurrence of C. difficile in rabbits raised in industrial holdings for food production and aimed to characterise isolates and estimate their antimicrobial susceptibility. C. difficile isolates were characterized by toxin profiles, toxinotyping and PCR-ribotyping. The MICs of six antibiotics were determined using E-test. Between 2007 and 2013, 285 industrial holdings (representing 40% of the national census) submitted rabbits to our laboratory for diagnostic purposes, among these holdings, groups of three to five post-weaned rabbits were sampled once by convenience. 1279 samples of caecal content were collected. The overall isolation rate of C. difficile from the enteric specimen was 3% (38/1279), with no difference among animals affected or not by enteric disorders. Among isolates 66% (25/38) were toxigenic. Sixteen different PCR-ribotypes (RTs) were identified. Among the toxigenic strains RT-014/020, RT-078 and RT-012 were found in at least three rabbit holdings. According to the ECOFF threshold, 82% (31/38) C. difficile isolates displayed a reduced susceptibility to at least one and 18% (7/38) to three tested antimicrobials. Rabbits are colonized by heterogeneous C. difficile ribotypes many of which are commonly isolated in humans. One third of isolates displayed a reduced susceptibility to MTZ, the first choice antimicrobial for human CDI treatment. According to our findings rabbits are a potential source of C. difficile for humans.
Laboratory of Diagnostic Bacteriology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Treviso, Italy. Electronic address: idrigo@izsvenezie.it.
Ilenia
I
Drigo
Department of Veterinary Epidemiology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Udine, Italy.
Elena
E
Mazzolini
Laboratory of Diagnostic Bacteriology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Treviso, Italy.
Cosetta
C
Bacchin
Laboratory of Diagnostic Bacteriology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Treviso, Italy.
Elena
E
Tonon
Laboratory of Diagnostic Bacteriology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Treviso, Italy.
Cinzia
C
Puiatti
Laboratory of Diagnostic Bacteriology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Treviso, Italy.
Luca
L
Bano
Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Patrizia
P
Spigaglia
Department of Infectious, Parasitic and Immune-mediated Diseases, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
Fabrizio
F
Barbanti
Laboratory of Diagnostic Bacteriology, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Treviso, Italy.
Fabrizio
F
Agnoletti
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005506:Food Contamination; D005516:Food Microbiology; D008460:Meat; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D011817:Rabbits / Q000382:microbiology*; D021521:Ribotyping
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008795:Metronidazole
Clostridium difficile; PCR-ribotyping; antimicrobials; meat rabbits